KP  Countdown
by Commander Argus
Summary: Kim thought of herself as a mature adult.  High School was behind them and she wanted to be treated like an adult.  The only problem  she was still just 17.  [Complete]
1. Part I

**_KP - Countdown : _Part I**

* * *

Kim took a bottle filled with a gel almost the same color as her eyes and started carefully applying it to her face, forearms and her belly. Pretty soon she would pass the container to Ron and he would spread some on the exposed part of her back. The sunburn was not terribly painful, though it did sting a bit. Kim's main concern was how it was going to make her look. Summer had only barely begun and she hadn't had proper time to build up a base tan.

The tan-lines her mission clothes were going to leave would certainly look funky with the teeny little bikini she was planning to debut the first chance the two teens had to ride out to Lake Middleton. In fact, she should have already been there. That was the plan for Saturday, especially since their traditional "Date Night" had been taken up by a dual family party celebrating their graduation from Middleton High School. Saturday was supposed to be for them.

Somebody should have told Jackie Oaks that.

There had been a brief respite from missions after their prom night fiasco. Kim didn't know if that was because of what had happened to them that night, because nothing actually came up or because she openly defied GJ when they tried to arrest a girl who had pretty much just saved their lives. All she knew is they were half way to the lake, ready for a day of sun and fun and not just a little lip smacking when the Kimmunicator went off.

Jackie wasn't in prison terribly long, considering the only actual crimes he committed were the museum heists. Since he was the founder and promoter of the GWA, there really wasn't anybody to bring charges against him for turning into a giant Jackal creature during a wrestling match in Middleton. With time off for good behavior, he was out and about in just under two years.

He wound up in Egypt, trying to find more ways to get in touch with his inner 'demon.'

Naturally, Team Possible was called in to deal with him once more. Unfortunately, the operation included Will Du, who, in a completely foreseeable display of overconfidence and fundamental ineptitude, managed to get all three of them captured. If it had not been for Ron's quick thinking and nimble toes, Oaks would have once again become a giant creature resembling one of the ancient Egyptian gods and they very likely would have still been chained to a wall inside one of the great Pyramids.

Kim was extremely glad she had taught Ron how to pick locks. She was also glad she had a couple bobby pins in her hair as well. They may have been old-fashioned, but they did have their uses. The only thing she could complain about with Ron's performance was that he needed to put a little bit of foot powder in his mission boots.

A little bit of stinky-foot could be forgiven in the desert.

It was a good thing they had been inside for most of the op. What little time they had spent out in the sun had crisped her exposed skin pretty quickly. Ron's face was in slightly worse shape, though he wasn't complaining. His freckles were slightly more vivid than normal, making him look semi-permanently embarrassed.

That made her gasp as she realized something else involving freckles. With a glance at the latched door set in the front of the passenger cabin, she started rooting around in her pack. Agent Du was up front piloting the GJ hoverjet that was carrying them back to Middleton at hypersonic speed and she hoped like heck he stayed there. Somehow over time she had grown to despise him more than some of her enemies and even though the two of them weren't doing anything private, she hoped he stayed up there. The aircraft could run almost totally on automatic but it made her nervous whenever he would leave the controls.

Will Du made her nervous any time he was around. If there was anyone in the world who was supposed to be on her side that she would like to punch out…

Kim's hand closed on the object she was searching for. Pulling it out, she opened it up, staring at the interior of her compact.

"It's a small mirror for looking at my face." Kim once explained to Ron, who was assuming it was one of her high-tech gadgets. That's precisely what she was using it for at that particular moment.

"Oh no." She moaned slightly.

"What is it, KP?" Ron asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Ron, why didn't you tell me my freckles were showing?"

He shot her a 'oh, come on' look. Then he got up and took both sides of her face in his gloved hands, kissing her upper cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She smiled softly, appreciating the gesture. "Ewwwwwwww, man that aloe stuff just tastes nasty." He brushed his tongue a bit before switching back to his 'supportive boyfriend' face. "They look cute on you, Kim. Don't worry about it."

She held up the little mirror, looking at the faint spots across the bridge of her nose. "First thing we're doing when we get home is head for the drug store to pick up some fresh concealer and a bottle of the strongest sun-block they've got. We're not setting foot on another mission unprepared like this."

Ron rolled his eyes, sitting back down in the acceleration lounge. Ever since the prom, they had been carrying a fairly heavy load in their mission packs. There were spare batteries for the Kimmunicators, extra charges for the grappler gun, a rather complete first aid kit, among other little doo-dads they may or may not end up needing. After ending up in the field with absolutely nothing, Kim wasn't leaving anything to chance. It was a wonder they had gone on the mission in standard clothes instead of her more advanced outfit or even one of their super-suits.

"What time is it?" Kim asked, flopping back down in her seat.

He rolled his eyes again. Twenty plus pounds of mission gear lugged around and Kim still didn't regularly wear a watch. "It's a little past eleven pm."

"Grrrrrrrr. Can't this thing fly any faster?" She sat back, crossing her arms.

Ron propped up his head slightly, closing his eyes. "What's the rush? Saturday's pretty much a done deal now anyway."

"I wanted today to be just for us. Yesterday was fun, but that was all fam time." She griped, scowling at the cockpit hatch.

"Kimila, it's not like we don't have the whole summer to ourselves. I mean, what are they going to do? Call us every five minutes? Besides, I'm here aren't I?"

Her expression softened slightly. "Yeah, I know, Baby. It just tweaks me like nobody's business sometimes. Just wish we were heading off like everybody else we know to some place fun."

He nodded. Most of the Class of 06 pretty much scampered out of town the moment the graduation ceremony was complete. That included the majority of their friends, including Felix and Monique, who were heading for Malibu; Josh and Tara, who were renting a cottage on one of the Great Lakes and even Bonnie couldn't get out of town fast enough. Following that time honored tradition, the new graduates were fanning out over the country, celebrating their new-found freedom from the bondage of high school.

Kim and Ron were not following them, at least not yet. The rest of their friends had already reached that all-important milestone of their lives…

…they had all turned eighteen already.

When Kim was little, she always reveled in the fact her birthday fell in high summer. That meant there were always plenty of kids who could come to her parties and they could almost always be held outside. Two summers ago she even got to have an old-fashioned Sweet Sixteen party, though she was absolutely mortified when her mother suggested everyone should come in poodle skirts and have a sock hop. That idea was firmly vetoed, but Ron still showed up in his leather jacket with his hair up in a pompadour, sticking his thumbs up in the air constantly in an impression of some 50s motorcycle greaser.

A week before graduation Kim laid out her plans during the weekly Pizza Night. She was going to go off with Monique and Felix, taking Ron with her for a week of sun and fun on the West Coast. Anne and James Possible looked at each other a moment and both firmly killed that idea.

"You see, Kimmie-cub, it's not that we don't trust you and Ron, it's just…well, you're still seventeen."

"Dad! Ron and I have been going off together since we were fourteen and we still do."

He shook his head resolutely. "Like I said, we trust you, but the rest of the world sees things a little differently. To us you are a very intelligent, very responsible woman. To the rest of the world, at least those who don't know you as a teen hero, you're just a teenage girl, one who is still legally a minor."

The…discussion…went on for quite some time like that. Missions were one thing. A one-night trip for Valentine's Day was okay too. A whole week without any kind of adult supervision was clearly out of the question. Finally he pulled the 'you-are-a-minor and we-are-your-parents' card out and put the kibosh on the whole debate. That was the end of the matter as far as they were concerned.

The one concession she had won was that when she did actually reach her birthday at the end of July, she could do what she wanted (within reason.) That meant nearly two whole months where she was still 'little Kimmie-cub' and stuck in town while the rest of her friends whooped it up.

Now even the big party at Lake Middleton was over with. They were still almost a half-hour away from home and the only party goers left at the state park would be paired off in every conceivable private spot in the place. The swimming, the cookouts, the loud music, all of that was over with now. Even if the two of them were to ride out there on Sunday, the place would be a holy mess until the park staff could get it cleaned up, making her feel like she should be pitching in to help instead of spending the day with her boyfriend. It would take a whole battalion of workers wearing Valkyrie 1000 shoes to clean that mess up in time to enjoy the lake.

Not to mention, the weather guy had been calling for thunderstorms much of the afternoon on Sunday.

She glanced over at Ron, whose eyes were closed. He was starting to develop her habit of catching forty winks on the ride back from a mission. She didn't blame him, though she would rather be snuggling him. Not that she didn't try after they left Egypt. It was just too uncomfortable knowing that detestable 'Top Agent' was only a dozen feet away from them, locked hatch notwithstanding.

There was movement in Ron's pants and moments later a tiny head popped out of his cargo pocket. Poor Rufus, he was still covered head to long skinny tail in zinc oxide. Without it, the desert sun would have turned him into a crispy critter inside of five minutes. Kim thought about her sun freckles and wished she had put that on her face as well.

Patting her lap, she called him over to her. She pulled out a handkerchief and started trying to clean the greasy sun block off his body. He quietly obliged, thankful to have most of the stuff off of him finally. She rewarded him with a pack of tortilla chips she had in her pack and he went right to munching away at them, sending a spray of nacho cheese powder everywhere.

It was going to be a long summer, counting down to their eighteenth birthdays.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	2. Part II

**_KP - Countdown : _Part II**

* * *

James Timothy Possible was outside, mowing the grass on his day off. Even though he owned a quite impressive cybernetically enhanced, remote control mower he still preferred cutting the front lawn by hand using an electric push mower. It made the lawn look nicer and it gave him an opportunity to be outside enjoying the pleasant early summer air. Actually, he would have preferred a good old fashioned gas powered push mower, but his daughter would rag him endlessly about how much pollution those things actually caused compared to cars engines. Anne sometimes would say this was a chore their twin sons should be tasked with, but he learned very quickly if he wanted a good looking lawn that didn't look like somebody had been testing missiles on it, he would have to do it himself. The boys could do the back yard and the field all they wanted to, considering that's exactly what it looked like anyway considering their predilection for launching their latest creations back there. There were scorched spots that would probably never have anything growing there ever again. Sure was a good thing they had no intention of selling the house any time soon.

He was on the third pass of a stylish diagonal cut when he noticed Gene Stoppable coming up the walk. He and his wife had always been friends with Ron's parents, though mostly at a distance. Gene and Jean always tended to keep mostly to themselves but ever since Kim and Ron's relationship had changed from near-lifelong best friends to completely inseparable boyfriend and girlfriend they had seen much more of the slightly older couple.

"Mornin', Gene." He extended a hand after shutting the mower off and stripping his work gloves.

"Hi, James. Pretty nice day to be out in the yard."

"Don't I know it. Feels good to get out and get some fresh grass stains on the old shoes. Uh, Kimmie-cub and Ronald aren't here right now, if you're looking for them."

"Oh, I'm sure they're out breaking in that new car of hers." The big event at the graduation party was when Wade and his parents rolled up in a brand new PT Cruiser with a great big bow on top. It was a present from Kim's parents, but their tech mastermind had been working on it for a few weeks, modifying a hybrid-electric drive train to utilize a miniaturized version of the cold fusion generator Rufus designed when he was under the influence of the Project Phoebus beam. Ever since, the two teens had been out driving it around, experimenting with the other gadgets Wade had included in the design and, ahem, breaking it in. Ron's car hadn't even been started since and had been sitting in the Possible's garage, slowly leaking oil into a pan James had eventually put under it.

He glanced over at the little gray hatchback parked beside his Jaguar. It was no small wonder the tabloids hadn't launched into a huge smear campaign claiming his teenaged daughter had a live-in boyfriend. A scowl crossed his features when he realized that probably wasn't too far from the truth anyway. Sunday morning he found the two of them sacked out on the family room couch, still dressed in their mission gear and smelling of aloe vera gel. That in itself didn't bother him, he knew they got in very late from a mission and at least he didn't find them snuggled up in her bedroom like he had that time back during the winter. Ron may have been the single most trustworthy boyfriend on the planet, but some images were just a little too much for the father of a beautiful young woman to take. It was all he could do not to think about prom night just a couple weeks ago, when they ended up sharing a hotel room some of their slightly older friends had secured for them. It took much special convincing from Anne to keep him from making good on his joking threat to send Ronald into a black hole.

"How is Jean doing? I missed seeing her at the party last Friday."

Gene nodded pensively. "She's doing as well as can be expected."

"The baby all right?" James was slightly nervous for his friends. They were expecting a late-life baby right about the time school was slated to start again. Jean Stoppable was a robust, healthy woman but a pregnancy at that point of her life was bound to be fraught with perils.

"Oh yes, quite good actually." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Actually, James, that's kind of what I came over here about. I needed to ask you and Anne a favor…a pretty big favor, actually."

"Sure, ask away. Anne's at the Medical Center all day, but I'm sure I can speak for her."

"Well, okay. See, like I said, the baby is doing okay, and so is Jean for that matter, but we've been talking to her doctor and she seems to be leaning toward putting her on bed rest until the baby comes, just to be on the safe side."

"Hmmm. I can imagine she's not too keen on that kind of idea. Anne's doctor did the same thing the last three weeks before the twins came. That nearly drove her insane."

Gene nodded again. "I remember that pretty well, actually. Ron was so upset when Kim went to stay with her Nana during that time since it meant he couldn't see his new friend. Those two seemed to be joined at the hip, even when they were small children. That's kind of what I wanted to ask you about. See, if Jean's put on her back, that means just about everything in our home will fall to me."

"Uh huh." James agreed, leaning slightly on his mower.

"I'm more than happy to carry her share, especially right now, but I was wondering, considering how close our kids are nowadays, if it would be possible…" He stopped and looked down at the ground for a moment. "…if you would consider letting Ron come to live with you this summer."

"Gosh, Gene, I don't know. I'd be happy to oblige, but the kids…living together? Would that be wise?"

"That's up to you, James, but if you laid down some rules and put your foot down about it, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem. You've raised a pretty good girl and I don't think I've been too much of a slouch with Ron either."

"I know, I know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I'm more worried about what people might think more than I am about how the kids would behave."

"It would really mean a lot to us, especially if Jean starts having a hard time like the doctor thinks."

"Have you talked to Ronald about this?"

Gene shook his head. "Not yet. I wanted to ask you guys about this first before I hit him with it. Besides, I've barely seen him since Friday. He came home way after midnight Friday and I know he ended up spending the night Saturday, since his bed wasn't slept in."

"Yeah, the kids had a mission. It does seem like he spends an awful lot of time here anyway, I guess it wouldn't be that much different. Let me talk to Ann about this tonight. I've got a pretty good idea what she's going to say, but despite what I said before, I don't want to hit her with something like this without running it by her first."

"Fair enough. I really appreciate your considering this. I'll make sure Ron pays for his room and board."

"No, no, if he stays with us, he's going to be a guest. He's like family anyway and I couldn't see charging family rent."

"Actually, James, it's really more for him. I want him to be responsible and part of that is paying his fair share of things." Gene glanced past his friend at the large, complicated looking house. "I know it's not like you need the money."

"Yeah, we get by. Listen, you want to come inside the garage? I'd invite you in the house but Anne would have a cow if I went inside with my grass shoes. I've got some really nice imported lager out there in the spare fridge."

"I'd love some. Jean hasn't let me buy anything since she's afraid she'll be tempted to have some herself. She even poured out the rest of my Sacramental wine."

James stuck his tongue out as they walked toward the garage. "Ugh, Gene, how can you drink that stuff?"

Gene shrugged. "It's an acquired taste. You should have seen the face Kim made last year at Passover. I sure wish I'd had a camera loaded up…"

* * *

"James, I think it's a wonderful idea." Anne sat on the end of their bed, brushing out her short red hair after a shower. It was after ten that night when she finally came home so he had most of the day with only the twins to keep him company while he mulled the situation over.

"I just can't help thinking that the temptation might just be a little too much for the kids, Anne. I know how good they are, but they're both seventeen."

"And you're worried they're going to start acting seventeen, aren't you?" She smiled softly, putting her brush down.

"Yes, and before you say it, I do remember a little of what it was like to be that age." He sat down beside her on the bed, scratching the back of his head absently. "I'm just afraid I'm going to hear one of them tiptoeing to the other's room in the middle of the night, or worse, I won't hear it and I'll walk in there one day and BOOM, there will be the two of them doing more than snoring with her little doll between them."

Anne shook her head gently and leaned over, putting her chin on her husband's shoulder. "In less than two months they could do that and you won't have any say in the matter, dear. Besides, if that's what they were about, there's not a thing in the world either of us can do about it."

"I can still tell her she's too young, that I don't allow that." He added, weakly.

"That's precisely why the two of them behave so well, because they respect you. Look, all that aside, it's the right thing to do. Jean is almost too old to even think about having a child and this means the world to her. I'm surprised her doctor hasn't ordered her to bed already, if she hasn't and Jean's just being stubborn about it."

"Gee, that sounds familiar. I almost had to put a lock on this door. Hmmm, speaking of locks, I wonder if Child Services would get upset if I put a lock on the outside of Ron's room."

"James, don't even think it." She smiled softly, laying a hand on his leg. "Did you hear what you just said?"

"What? That I want to lock Ron in there so he won't sneak into Kim's room in the middle of the night?"

"No." She rubbed his leg gently. "You called it Ron's room. Are you caving to the inevitable?"

"Inevitable? Am I not getting a say in the matter?"

Anne just arched an eyebrow at him and kept smiling.

"Anyway, I've called that Ron's room since I cleaned it out last winter. Sometimes it seems like he's sleeping in there as much as at home anyway."

"That's precisely my point. Even that time the kids came home early from that trip, Kim made him sleep down there, even though we were both away."

"Well, there's still what other people would think."

She sat up, giving his leg a little pat. "What, that we let the son of some friends stay with us while they have a baby? What on Earth is wrong with that?"

"You know exactly what's wrong. Everyone would think Ronald is living with Kimmie-cub, not just with us."

"So? James, if they wanted to, in eight weeks the two of them could even get married. Heck, if they had our permission, they could do that right now and they would have my blessing if you agreed too."

"They haven't…?"

She shook her head emphatically. "No, they're not even engaged yet, though they've talked about it. It's a moot point anyway, Kim's not going to be a child-bride. She knows she's got some living to do first. All I'm saying is it doesn't matter what people think, it matters what they do and that will always shine through, especially for them."

"But Kim is a public figure. It already gets back to me about the way they like to go parking up on Logging Camp Road."

Anne laughed softly. "I seem to recall a certain Science Major taking a certain Med Student parking up there once upon a time. I think they turned out okay. I wouldn't worry too much about the scandal papers either. If they wanted to make something of Kimmie, they would have done it a long time ago."

James rubbed his face, momentarily thinking he could use a shave, even though it was bed time. "This all just doesn't sit right with me one hundred percent. I do love Ronald like a son but…when I was that age, I didn't get a chance to go live with my girlfriend."

"James, you didn't have a girlfriend then. You weren't exactly a lady's man back then. Please."

He knew better than to look, but it was like some giant, unseen hand took his head and turned it without his consent. One look at those huge, wonderful blue eyes, at that lower lip sticking out and he was lost.

"Okay, I'll tell Gene that we both agree. If Ronald agrees with his father, then he can move into _his_ room as soon as he needs to…but there will be rules. This is my house, after all."

"Of course, dear." Anne touched his chin and pulled him closer, kissing him warmly, her hands giving him the signs he was going to be properly rewarded for seeing things her way. She stroked his cheeks.

"Tell you what, Jimbo, why don't you go in there and shave. I don't think you want prickly cheeks right now…"

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	3. Part III

**_KP - Countdown : _Part III**

* * *

The two teens had been apart very little since their principal, Doctor Wilma Director, handed them their parchment that previous Friday. A great deal of that time was spent in Kim's very first car, simply cruising around, going absolutely nowhere. It wasn't like they were using precious fuel or polluting the planet with it, so there was absolutely no guilt involved joyriding all over the Tri-Cities area.

Kim called it decompressing. For the first time in twelve years they were almost their own persons. Outside of the light chores their families assigned them they had no responsibilities. They didn't have jobs, they didn't have school. Suddenly they had all the time in the world to just plain enjoy each other's company.

Though they were the guests of honor at the party, they snuck away, on the premise that Kim wanted to drive her car some. Nobody at the party expected the pair to be back any time soon and it was in fact around one the next morning when she dropped her boyfriend off at his house. Saturday, of course, was gobbled up by the mission but all day Sunday, all day Monday and all day Tuesday they were out at the crack of dawn and didn't come home until very late.

Technically, the two of them were supposed to be stargazing. It was a quite busy night at the bluff, especially for a Tuesday, but the nice weather had the de facto parking lot at the end of the road filled to capacity with cars. It was very likely that most of the other couples in those cars were just as unconcerned with the vivid night sky above them as Kim and Ron were. Some were more intent than others with their aims, as the slight movement of a couple vehicles could attest.

Unlike the rest, they thought it was too nice a night to be cooped up in a car. After spending the last three days in it almost constantly, they were actually a little sick of the new-car-smell (and the greasy Bueno Nacho wrappers that were accumulating behind the front seats.)

Wednesday they were going to have to find some other way to occupy their time besides simply riding around town all day long. More than likely Kim was going to insist they get back to their workout routines, something they had blown off the last couple weeks. Preparing for finals and graduation was a good enough excuse, as was a couple days of decompression, but enough was enough. For the last three days the most strenuous thing they had done was slamming the doors on the little car. Too much more of that and even Gemini's Chihuahua Pepe could take them down.

The were just out of sight of the field that had become a parking lot. Ron's back was to a stone set as if it were a sort of park bench. A little more than a year ago they found their way to this spot, aimlessly wandering the town after their Junior Prom. They managed to spend the remains of the night, talking and kissing until the sun rose the next day. They probably would have stayed there even longer if their fathers hadn't rolled up looking for them.

It wasn't likely either man would come hunting them that evening and even if they did need to reach them, both had their Kimmunicators in their cargo pockets. In fact, they were both rather shocked the thing hadn't managed to go off the last couple days. Oh, they had gotten calls, but it was just folks calling to talk to them. The distinctive four beat ring tone hadn't sounded in all that time, signaling some emergency that needed their attention.

Ron was actually looking up a the stars. Kim had her head on his chest and from time to time looked up with him, though mostly she simply turned her head and closed her eyes, not dozing off but just laying there at peace, something she very rarely was able to do. It would be very easy to sit up and kiss the man she loved, to make out with him as they had done in the car the two previous nights. It was the very fact she could do that or she could do what she was doing that made her so happy. There were no clubs, no committees, no cheer squad practices, no homework. Just Ron and her and no real plans about anything.

"KP?"

"Yeah, Baby?"

"Guess."

"Don't have to." She traced the outline of his belt buckle with her fingernail. Even with shorts he wasn't taking any chances, he had the tan, knee length cargos firmly belted to his waist. "I can read your mind. You love me."

"Uh huh. I can read your mind too."

"Bet you can't." She turned her head to look up at his face.

"Can too. You love me too."

Smiling, she let the hand fiddling with his buckle wrap around his hip, just touching the curve of his backside. "That was too easy. I'm thinking something else on top of that."

"Yeah, that you'd really like some ice-cream but you're feeling too good lying here with me to get up and go get some." He grinned at her.

"How did…?"

"Told you I could read your mind." He held his finger too his temple and closed his eyes. "You're also thinking that Ron Stoppable is the sexiest man alive and that you really should be kissing him right now."

"Hah, got you there, Rondo. That guy who plays that elf and in the pirate movies, he's the sexiest man alive. I just have to make do with you."

"Liar."

"He is too." She rolled toward his face a little more, putting the hand that had been on his butt up over his shoulder. "You've got to remember, there's a world of difference between a guy being pretty in pictures and being somebody you are in love with. So he's a little, and I do mean just a little, prettier than you. Big deal. You're the one I love. You were right about one thing."

"Yeah, what's that."

Instead of telling him, she showed him, pulling herself up to his face and kissing him. It started out as a tender, loving kiss but as it went on it became hotter, more frenzied, the kind of kiss that could lead to all sorts of other outlets for passion. It was the kind of kiss they enjoyed together as often as they could. Her father may have become accustomed to the two of them kissing, to the point Ron was no longer self conscious about doing so in front of him, but this kind of lip-lock was still something they kept private, especially since Ron's hands were developing a tendency to explore more and more readily. If it hadn't been for the snugness of Kim's lime green crop top, it was very likely he would have finally ventured past first base.

"I wonder what ole 'Lix and Mon are doing right about now." Ron mused as they returned to their previous positions.

Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator and looked at the time display. "Eleven Thirty-five. Well, it's ten thirty-five where they are. Wouldn't mind calling Mon and getting the scoop on their trip so far, but I bet neither of them would appreciate a call right about now."

"Bet they're lying on the beach just like we are, except Monique is probably wearing a bikini that's illegal in some states." Ron looked down at her and wagged his eyebrows.

"If she's wearing that much." Kim closed her eyes again, lightly touching the inside of his knee.

"She…oh. Okay, TMI where our friends are concerned."

"Okay, Ronnie. I'll spare you the gory girl-talk details."

He put his hands back behind his head. "Think we'll get our chance?"

"What do you mean? Of course we will, eventually."

"I don't mean that. I mean, it seems like we just went through the last traditional rite of passage, the last 'doorway to adulthood,' yet here we are, still stuck in Middleton. Even my fam isn't going away this summer because of Mom. Just seems kind of a waste to be sitting here doing almost nothing while all our friends are someplace else, all because we haven't reaches some silly little point on the calendar."

Kim thought about it a moment. "This really isn't so bad. Think about the alternative. We could be traipsing through a jungle right now, one crawling with little bitty, flickable insects and some that aren't…flickable." A tiny shudder went through her. "We could be huddled up between shipping crates on some rickety airplane so far out over the ocean they'd never find us if something went wrong. We could even be chained up to another wall with Mister If-I'm-a-Top-Agent-then-God-help-us-all again."

"Yeah, that would suck, but it wouldn't be so bad."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we'd still be together." His hand drifted down to her shoulder and brushed aside a strand of her hair.

"Ronnie, you're so sweet." She rolled her head to the side again, resting her forehead just under his chin. After a bit, she kissed his neck. Then she nibbled it, ever so slightly.

"Hey, no tagging, we're big, grown-up graduates now."

"If I leave a mark, it's gonna be somewhere nobody but me's going to see it." She giggled. Rolling off of him, she pulled herself up beside him, looking up at the sky. She wriggled her arm under him and snuggled down onto his shoulder.

"You know what was fun last summer?" She asked finally as his watch chimed the passage of midnight.

"Sneaking around that condo in Fort Summerdell and almost getting caught?"

Kim punched him lightly in the side with her free hand. "We did get caught, even though we didn't go through with it. No, I'm talking about something else. Remember the first night of our vacation?"

"Yeah. I remember suggesting we make fake bedroom noises to freak out your brothers who were in the next bed."

That gave Kim a fit of the giggles that threatened to make her sit up. "I'd forgotten about that. Just as well we didn't. Those two monsters would have just as likely recorded the whole thing and sold copies on the internet."

"Sold? Heck, they gave away that picture of you working on a zit a couple weeks ago." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, holding her tight."

"They did what?" She squawked, trying to sit up.

"I'm kidding, KP, I'm kidding."

She settled back down. "I'm just saying, that was kind of fun, even if you did sleep on top of the covers so they wouldn't get any funny ideas about what we were doing. That was something real people do. Just plain, ordinary folks out on a vacation, finding a semi-decent motel room to spend the night in. No sleeping in the backs of airplanes, no huddling in a sleeping bag so the bugs won't crawl on you all night." She paused while Ron fought down a shiver. His fear of small insects didn't tweak her like it used to. It was part of who he was and she loved him, all of him, both the good and the bad.

"I dunno, Kim. I kind of like some of those fancy rooms we've stayed in from time to time. That room at the Middleton Motor Lodge, I didn't even know they had rooms like that."

She closed her eyes and smiled. The wreck of their prom night had been salvaged by a night and most of the next morning just holding each other in a king-size bed. Her only regret was not having bathing suits with them, forcing them to take turns soaking in the Jacuzzi built for two the bathroom boasted. She was not about to sit in it wearing her new silk camisole and they were most definitely not ready to share a hot-tub like that with nothing on. One of the things they had talked about at length during their long drives the last couple days was the way their physical relationship was progressing. They both agreed they would take things slow, just as they had been doing the year and three weeks they had been together. When they were ready, they would know they were ready. At least that's what each of them understood, though they readily admitted they didn't have a clue when they would actually be ready. All they knew was that they weren't yet and that took a lot of pressure off of them.

What Kim did know was that she was ready to kiss him again, and she did just that.

"You know, if we're not careful, we're going to end up dozing off and we'll be here all night." She said, lightly tracing the collar of his old red jersey. On him it looked a little funny without the dark blue turtleneck under it, but at least that way she could see his lean, almost narrow chest that way.

"Yeah, we really should be headed home, I guess." He looked up at the sky again. While they had been there a few clouds had rolled in, blocking out the moon and making it a little darker.

Thirty minutes later, they were still lying there, looking up at the gathering clouds. Neither felt much like moving, that is, until the first fat drops of an early morning shower started pelting them. By the time they covered the few dozen yards to her car they were thoroughly soaked.

The crowd had thinned out considerably. It was just past one in the morning and it was likely many of the young lovers taking advantage of the unofficial make-out point of Middleton still had curfews to abide by. A combination of her outgrowing such a restriction and her father's faith in Ron had lifted that from them, though they usually weren't out this late.

The car rumbled to life as she put the special key in the ignition. In reality, the vehicle was almost silent, but Wade had put a sound system in it that precisely duplicated the engine of a turbocharged normal version of her Chrysler. It wouldn't do to have the wrong types start poking around the car, considering it was powered by what was considered to be the holy grail of power generation.

Ron settled into his seat in a slight funk. There was just one thing that had been a fly in the ointment of their otherwise tranquil beginning to their summer vacation. So far, Ron hadn't driven the car one single inch, and he was itching to do so something fierce. His own car was a purely conventional Chevrolet Chevette with a manual transmission and a slow oil leak. It was fine for getting around (over short distances) but it was perhaps the least cool car on the planet. Now that Kim had one of her own, it was likely his would see very little use and it bugged him that she was the one driving what would have been cool even if it was purely stock. He let that pass for the moment, certain eventually he would regain his 'manly' duties of driving.

"You know, KP, maybe you were on to something."

"What's that, Baby." She said, looking over her shoulder to pull back out onto Logging Camp Road.

"That idea you had about staying in some normal little hotel. Maybe this car is the key. What if we just loaded it up and headed out, just seeing whatever there is to see out there. We could drive all day and if something crops up, we can just hunt down a little motor court and spend the night. I bet I could save up enough of my allowance so we could even go away for a couple weeks like that."

Kim stopped the car and looked at him for a second. Then she broke out into a wide grin.

"Road trip!" They chorused loudly.

"Jinx, you owe me a soda." Kim said as she put it in drive and headed back to town.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	4. Part IV

**_KP - Countdown : _Part IV**

* * *

A sharp crack of thunder finally woke Ron up. He blinked back sleep, not quite totally able to get up. It wasn't as light as he felt it should be until the thunderstorm registered in his head. Rain was pelting the window beside his bed hard enough he couldn't see the hills behind his subdivision. His alarm clock told the tale. Somewhere along the line Kim had gotten him a nice digital clock with a built in radio instead of his Teddy Bear, thinking he might prefer something a little more grown up. It was not long after he hooked it up that he discovered the snooze button was hard to find when he was half asleep. He wondered from time to time if that was intentional, trying to keep him from oversleeping on school days. Eventually he did manage to learn where the tiny button with two identifying bumps was, though he couldn't smack it with Rufus any more.

It wouldn't have mattered if the radio started playing _Flight of the Valkyries_ at full blast that morning, he wasn't going to wake up. After four straight nights with less than four hours of sleep, he finally hit the wall. It didn't matter the only time his heart rate had been above resting most of the time was when he was kissing Kim, lack of sleep was still having an effect on him. It just seemed wrong, and perhaps a little sick, to waste time he could be spending with Kim asleep in his bed. At least he felt that way until his body said otherwise. Now, if she was sleeping beside him…

No, that really wasn't going to happen, at least for another fifty-three days, not until Kim turned Eighteen at the end of July. His birthday would be just one week later, but it was Kim's that really was the zero hour. She was the one with parents (he knew quite well it was her father, but once a decision was made they were a unified front) who would not allow her to do 'adult' things until she was…technically…and adult.

Early that morning, he was wishing Kim would head straight for her house and they could sack out on the couch again. He could live with a stiff neck if that was the price for spending even more time with her. However, he had a vague memory of her guiding him up the stairs and tucking him into bed like his mother used to. She knew he needed rest and the best of its kind was to be had in his own bed, even if it was too small for him now.

The afternoon thunderstorms had rolled in because it was literally afternoon, by about ten minutes. Considering he had crawled into bed, still wearing his slightly damp clothes, about two thirty that morning, he had finally gotten a pretty decent night's sleep (or would that be a decent morning's sleep?)

Swinging his legs out of bed he scratched his side like a monkey before pulling his jersey over his head. Almost automatically he made his way across the bedroom, shedding the rest of his clothes on his way to the bathroom. Tilting his head back he let out a very long "Ah" for the usual reasons.

Finally opening his eyes after the traditional shake he leaned forward and checked his face in the small mirror mounted above the toilet. That's when he noticed two huge green eyes framed by red hair staring at him from across the room. For a moment he thought that Kim had simply stayed with him the night before but realized quickly she was wearing fresh clothes. She was sitting on the floor at the head of his bed, leaning against the side. He had barely missed stepping on her legs when he got up.

Since she was wearing a purple crop top and shorts and not the lime green top/capris combo of the day before, he came to the conclusion she had been there since some reasonable hour in the morning and had dozed off herself waiting for him to wake up.

His mind was so occupied trying to sum up that sitch it took him a little longer to realize he was standing across the room from her, completely in the buff and had just finished taking a leak.

About that time Kim finally clamped her hands over her eyes, just about as Ron slammed the door to his bathroom. A few minutes later they both came to the conclusion that all his clothes were in the bedroom proper and not the bathroom. Kim shook her head but she couldn't quite fight down a big smile as she laid some clothes out on the bed for him and gathered up all his dirty clothes into one pile.

"Get cleaned up and I'll be waiting for you downstairs. We've got something important to talk about."

Ron let out a deep breath as he started the shower, wondering exactly how much Kim had seen. How many thousands of mornings had he done the exact same thing? How was he supposed to know she was sitting there? If she was dozed off, how long had she been awake?

At least the talk she wanted to have wasn't prefaced with "We need to talk." Both of them slipped and used that phrase from time to time, even though they wished there was some way to permanently strip it from their lexicon. Still, what she said came so close it blasted the embarrassment of her seeing him in his birthday suit right out of his mind for a moment.

But only for a moment.

By the time he was toweling off, he was convinced that he had just performed a walking striptease for her and even though there were certain instances he would really like to do that for her, waking up first thing in the morning and taking care of business wasn't one of them. He thanked all that was holy he had spotted her before he turned around and sat down.

He was just slipping a purple tank top on over his blue board shorts as he walked down the stairs. He figured Kim picked out those particular colors since they came the closest to matching her ensemble.

Before he could say anything she got up and gave him a monstrous hug and a nice long good-morning kiss. In the field Kim seemed like such a tomboy sometimes yet when she was able to be just herself she was such a girly-girl. Her right foot rose behind her as she kissed him. Taking his hand, she guided him down to the couch.

"There, I wanted to do that the first thing you woke up, but…you know." She blushed slightly.

"Uh, KP, how much…?"

She touched his cheek and gave him another light kiss. "Enough."

Ron frowned. "How much is enough?"

She had a devilish smile on her face. "I could torture you all day, but I love you too much. I was awake since the thunder started." As if to punctuate that, another boom rocked the house. "I was kind of comfortable and I didn't know you were awake, so I just sat there and started drifting off. I didn't open my eyes until you said "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH." She dragged it out, mimicking him almost perfectly.

"O…kay." He muttered, slouching. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Kim held up a slender finger. "First things first, we have to talk about our relationship."

_Uh oh._

"If the two of us are going to have a future together, if we're eventually going to share a home and share our lives, something has got to change and I don't care what you have to say about the matter I can tell you right now that this can be a deal-breaker for the two of us. Ron, I love you very much, but I have a set of personal standards that I adhere to and I expect you to as well."

"Eh, heh." Ron tried to smile, the effect not quite what he wanted. He was hearing 'deal-breaker' and 'if' used in conjunction with 'future.'

"Now, I blame the conditions you grew up in. You have something I never have, something I've coveted the entire time I have known you."

He was genuinely perplexed. The Possibles seemingly had everything. What could he have that she would want.

"Now I see what I coveted actually creates a bad habit that I just can't condone. Maybe it's just as well my bathroom was not attached to my room."

_Her bathroom? She coveted having a bathroom attached to her room?_

"Ronnie, you might as well start training yourself now, because when the day comes that you and I share a home, you will not, I repeat NOT use the bathroom with the door open like that. Am I clear?"

"You…you're freaked about me…in front of you?" In the space of a moment he went from cringing about some serious flaw in their relationship to trying to fight off a monster giggle fit.

"Yes, I'm freaked out. Ron, some things are just absolutely and totally private, and that's one of them. I don't even care once we start seeing all of each other. On a regular basis." She added, considering she admitted to seeing his backside just a while ago.

"You mean, even once we're together, together, even after I've seen you, you still don't want me to watch you…"

"That's right." She cut him off. "You won't even be in the same room. If I had my druthers, when we get a place of our own, I'll have my own separate water closet in the bathroom." She calmed down slightly. This was an actually, real issue for her, Ron decided. "Baby, this has nothing in the world to do with how I feel about you. It's just the way I'm made.

He held up his right hand. "I promise by the time we have a place together, I won't go with the door open. Just, it's a wee little bit different when I don't even know you're in the room."

"Sorry, Ronnie. I was just doing what you say you like doing to me. I was watching you sleep and I kind of drifted off.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about, cause I'd really like to hit the road." He glanced up the stairs at the kitchen, listening intently for a minute. "Hey, where's Mom? I thought she was on maternity leave now?"

Kim pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket. "Your Dad left a note. He took her to the doctor this morning for a checkup." She handed him the paper.

"He wants to talk to me this afternoon. Dang, it's already afternoon. Guess we've gotta hang out here after all."

Kim waved her hand at the living room window. "It doesn't look like there's much to do outside today, unless you want to relive the day Barkin made all of us take class out in the rain."

Ron walked his fingers up her belly and up the middle of her chest. "There are other things that can be done on a rainy day." He made a slight growling sound in his throat.

She took his hand, which was lingering in the middle of her chest. "Yeah, lots of things what we wouldn't mind to still be doing when your 'rents get home, buster. We've still got the main thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay, shoot." He leaned back in the sofa and casually crossed his arms.

"I was looking at my calendar. Out birthdays fall on Saturdays this year, so it's very likely the Fam is going to have the celebrations on those nights. I was figuring it might be best if we planned out little trip for one week later, that way it will give us a two week window just to do the vacation thing plus leave us two weeks before classes start."

Ron looked up the stairs again, knowing that's where his mother would normally be this time of day. Every time she came down the stairs his father would chase her right back up. It was getting tough on his old man, but so far he refused Ron's offers to step up his own workload in the home. His Dad kept insisting the time he spent with Kim now was important and was something he'd never be able to get back if he missed.

"I don't know, KP. That's bumping up awful close to when the baby's supposed to come."

Kim sighed and sat back, imitating his posture. "I know that, but with Daddy being a stubborn old mule about me being his little girl, we can't do anything until then."

He thought a little about it. "Maybe it'll be okay. Heck, they might like to get me out of the house for a little while there at the end. Maybe they'd even let me stay with you." He leaned over and nuzzled her ear.

"Like that's ever going to happen. Ron, I know we'll be legal adults then, but it's still Mom and Dad's house and if they don't want us sleeping in the same room until we're married, that's the way it's going to be. I don't think fifty-three days from now Daddy's going to feel much different about that. You saw how he reacted that night of the blizzard, and we were both sound asleep with long pajamas and underwear to boot."

"It was a nice thought." He put the side of his head on her shoulder and sat that way for a few minutes.

"It's a real nice thought." She held his hand. "You know, it's funny, I keep wanting to say I really like sleeping with you, but it just comes out wrong."

"I know what you mean. It's like, you've got to say 'we like sleeping in the same bed together' or something like that. Stupid double meanings."

"Still comes out sounding like a euphemism for making love." Kim brushed back his hair. "Okay, loverboy, I'm pulling rank. Tomorrow we're marching you right to Floyd and getting your hair cut."

"Aw man, I was starting to like having a little length in the back."

Kim smiled broadly, messing up his still slightly damp hair. "No man of mine is going to have a mullet."

Ron grinned, sitting up and slicking back his hair. "Business in the front, party in the back."

Kim nearly doubled over in laughter. "Please, please quit channeling Motor Ed. Next thing you know, you're going to want to grow an handlebar mustache."

"Well, I do want to grow a goatee."

She shook her head, still laughing heartily. "NO! Uh, uh. Forget it, buster."

"Spoil sport." He groused, crossing his arms and sitting back again.

Kim pulled his arms open and snuggled against his chest facing him. "I don't want to kiss you and get all tickly." To prove her point she kissed him, not the way she had done when he first got out of the shower, but like she had out at the bluff the night before.

He found he didn't care so much that his parents might come home. They had already welcomed Kim into the family and they should expect to find them sharing their affection from time to time. They both started getting into the kiss, enjoying their bodies pressed close together on the sofa.

Ron's hands started slowly traveling up her waist, inching under the hem of her crop top. Kim made no move to stop him, only squeezing him tighter with his own arms, as if she were signaling her readiness for them to experience the next step in the traditional baseball metaphor.

His fingers barely touched the bottom hem of her sports bra when both Kimmunicators went off.

"Dammit." She cursed, sitting up and pulling the device out of her shorts pocket. "Go, Wade." She said tiredly.

Duty called once more. A rain check (how appropriate considering the weather) was offered and accepted and the two of them went upstairs to change into mission gear.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	5. Part V

**_KP - Countdown : _Part V – 53 Days and Counting.**

* * *

The young couple walked down the sidewalk with their arms around each other's waists. The sun was just starting to dip behind the surrounding hills. The storm had let up and dissipated not long after they were in the air, headed off on their mission, to the point they could see the edges of the storm as they cleared the tops of the clouds. Kim griped a little at the missed chance to head out to the lake, but Ron pointed out that everything would be quite wet in the park and the water would likely be a little on the muddy side for swimming. Besides, there would be plenty of chances to head out to the lake and if Kim wanted to show off her new bathing suit, he was readily available for a private modeling session.

As the two of them climbed back aboard the private VTOL jet they felt incredibly good. One more mark could be chalked up in the win column for Team Possible and they actually had fun doing it to boot. They relied on their tried and true methods. Kim went in gung-ho while Ron served in the support/distraction role, wrapping the whole thing up in under an hour, leaving only the three-hour long flight back home. There was plenty of room in the back of the plane so they changed back into their 'civvies' ahead of time and resumed their earlier activities, though in a little more restrained manner.

It was just a tad late for dinner at Casa de Possible, so they would have to settle for leftovers or, if there wasn't enough left, they would simply head over to Bueno Nacho. That really wasn't part of the healthier diet Kim had put him on at the beginning of their Senior year, but with a little wise selection, it wouldn't be bad. On the other hand, because of the deal Gene Stoppable had worked out with the fast food chain for his son, they didn't have to pay anything for the food there. That certainly helped when the plan was to hold onto every spare dime they could in anticipation of their trip later that summer.

"You know, KP, it's weird. Since they brought us here, your car is sitting at my house and mine is in the garage at yours."

She shrugged. "It still runs, doesn't it? It's not going to hurt us to run over to BN if there's no meatloaf left."

"Mmmm, Mrs. Dr. P. Meatloaf. Man I hope they didn't eat it all. Absolutely badical." He rubbed his stomach with his free hand.

"For somebody who's just about to go off to school to become a gourmet chef, you sure like the comfort food. She scrunched his shirt up so she could rest her hand on his bare waist, the ridge of her hand resting on the band of his shorts.

"What can I say, Babe, the Ron-man likes all kinds of food, he doesn't discriminate."

"No kidding." She raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we should call that plane back for a ride to Killigan's Island. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to whip you up some of his Grandmother's haggis." She loved ribbing him about that ever since she pumped him for details about his search for the overdue library book.

"Okay, I discriminate a little, but sheep's lungs cooked in its stomach is just sick and wrong. If I want any kind of mutton it's going to be rack of lamb with mint jelly."

She licked her lips slightly. "I love it when you talk sexy food."

They crossed the last step leading to the front porch. "You'd love it even better if it was your usual 'slab-o-meat' at that roadhouse place." In recent months Kim had developed quite the taste for thick steaks, grilled medium rare. That was one of the high points between them, considering that had been the initial impetus that drove him to set up a gourmet steakhouse version of Chez Ronald at the Middleton Days festival earlier in the Spring. Not only was it a smashing success, raising the money needed to pay for the ballroom used for their Senior Prom, it also ended up becoming the final push that secured him a spot in the prestigious culinary arts program he would begin that fall.

The idea of a tasty hunk of red, juicy meat was too much for her, especially when compared to a meatloaf shaped like an oversized human brain or a limp, pre-packaged Naco-salad at Bueno Nacho. "Mmmm, Baby. Take me now!" She cooed, throwing her arms over his shoulders.

"Kimmie-cub!"

Both teens started as the door swung open. James Possible stood there, his knuckles whitening on the doorknob. It took them both a moment to realize what had the elder Possible so steamed.

Kim tried laughing it off. "I meant for Ron to take me to the Steakhouse…not…that!" Her face turned a most becoming shade of pink.

"Uh huh. So, Ronald, how long has it been since I had you fitted for a space suit?"

"Um, well, maybe, uh."

"Daddy, really, we were just talking about food." She put a hand on one of Ron's cheeks and warmly kissed the other. "Sexy food." She added, giggling slightly as her boyfriend blanched.

"Well, there will be no steak or any other kind of sexy food tonight. There's plenty of your mother's meatloaf left and besides, Ron's father is here and we need to talk to the two of you, so come on inside."

"Dad's here?" Ron scrunched up his brow for a moment. "Aw, man, me busted! I completely zoned on him wanting to talk to me this afternoon."

"He was quite upset until I tried to call Kimmie and got Wade. He told me the two of you were on a mission." He looked them over. "Though it looks like the two of you found time to get more comfortable somewhere along the way."

"Long flight, comfy plane." Kim explained as her father led them into the dining room.

"I was wondering when the two of you would get home." Anne said as she got up from the table.

"I intercepted them just in time, they were about to flake, as they would say, on family dinner." James took his place at the table, which had already been cleared and was now occupied by a folded up copy of the Middleton Examiner.

Gene Stoppable was still picking at some food on his plate. Sitting beside his setting was a small plastic grocery bag with a plate in it, most likely for Ron's mother Jean.

Ron quickly sat down beside his father. "Is Mom okay?"

"Sure, Ronald, she's fine. Baby's fine too."

Anne set plates of food in front of the two teens. The only sign of the twins was the occasional crashing sound coming from the direction of their room.

"So what's the big ish?" He asked, digging into his food as if he hadn't eaten all day. About the time the first bite hit his lips, he realized he actually hadn't, save for a couple energy bars from their mission packs.

Gene took a deep breath and exchanged glances with Kim's parents. "Well, like I said, your mother is okay. Only, her doctor wants to keep her that way."

Ron shrugged questioningly. "I thought that's why she was taking maternity leave so early?"

"It is, but she wants her to take it one step further. Son, there is no reason why your mother shouldn't be able to bring the baby to term, but there are some complications. For one thing…" He drew another breath, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "…Jean and I have never told you this, but she had a really hard time of things when she was carrying you. She was so scared back then, especially since it took us so long to even bring you into this world. She's got a condition called gestational diabetes. That means she has to be extremely careful with her diet. Son, I'm afraid that also means, just like during her third trimester with you, she's going to have to be on bed-rest until the baby comes."

"She is okay, isn't she Mister Sto…Gene." Kim quickly amended after a look from the elder Stoppable.

"Like I said, this is purely preventative." He turned his attention back to his son. "This also means she won't be able to take care of the home until she's recovered from childbirth."

Kim drew in a silent breath. Up till that moment she had been simultaneously honored that Ron's father was discussing that in front of both of them and a little embarrassed by the same. Her foot drifted over and touched the side of Ron's, hoping he would notice the subtle gesture.

"Dad, I've told you before, I'm willing to do my part around the house. Just tell me what I need to do."

Gene shook his head slightly. "Son, I have another idea in mind. I can do what needs to be done, so don't worry about carrying your load." He glanced at Kim's parents again, getting slight nods from both of them.

"Son, don't take this the wrong way, but I think, with the things you and Kimberly do, it might not be a very good idea for you to be around that much, at least through the home stretch." He nodded toward the family room. "I know it hasn't happened that often, but sometimes trouble seems to come looking for the two of you. Now I realize most of that is centered around Kimberly, but I can tell you're taking a much more active role in your partnership now and there may come a day when the danger comes looking for you. You do have some personal enemies you know."

"Y...you're kicking me out?" Ron's voice was a mere squeaky whisper.

Kim put a hand on his leg and gave it a firm squeeze.

"No, no son. I'd never do any such thing. What I want…what I'm asking is if you would stay here with Kim's family. I'm not telling you, Son, I'm asking you, man to man, to do this for your family."

Ron turned and looked at Kim for a moment then turned back to his father. "What' Mom think about this?"

Gene laughed slightly. "She's not happy about any part of this whole situation. She knows in her head what she's got to do." He tapped his forehead slightly. "But you know how stubborn she can be…downright bull-headed. We talked for a long, long time about this, even before we went to the doctor today and got the orders. Finally we both decided it was best to ask you for this favor. What do you say, Son?"

"Yeah, uh…Yeah, sure. Just gonna seem really weird living here with Kim." He paused for a moment. "Uh, Dad, does that mean I can't come home and see Mom?"

"Good Lord no, Son. No, no, no. It's just to make things easier for us right now and to reduce the chance of one of your arch-enemies showing up. Not that we want them showing up here either." He added the last for Kim's parents.

"We never thought you did." Anne hastily assured him. "But it still remains, there are no brittle pregnant women in this house…and we can and do take care of ourselves." She was still proud of the part her family had played when the Toxic Snowmen had converged on their home and when the twin's Diablo Bots had rampaged through the family room.

With that decided, the conversation turned to simpler topics as the kids finished up their dinners. Finally, as they polished off a slice of cake each (Rufus ate two) Kim decided to push ahead with the other plans.

"Come August, Ron and I are going on our summer vacation." She mentioned casually, taking a sip from her milk.

James and Anne looked at each other for a long moment. "Oh, you are?" Her father asked once he turned back to her.

She put on her most cheerful face. "Yeah, we figured, since I've got that spankin new car, we'll take a road trip and see all the stuff we normally fly right over. We'll just head out about a week after Ron's birthday and just drive until we find something interesting."

James leaned over the table. "So, just because you'll have turned eighteen, you think it's going to be fine for the two of you to take a trip…alone?"

"Yes, Daddy. Like you said last week when school got out, the world treats eighteen year olds differently from seventeen year olds, so we've decided to hold off until then."

"It seems to me, young lady, like you were told you wouldn't be taking any trips alone with Ronald because you were too young. It seems to be splitting hairs to simply wait a couple months and everything will change."

"Fifty-three days." Ron said, chewing on another bite of cake. "A few more if you count my birthday."

"Uh huh." Rufus squeaked, his own mouth stuffed full of cake as well.

James sat back in his chair. "I think we'll have to talk about this some more. I have to think about it."

"But Daddy?" Kim pleaded.

"I didn't say no, Kimmie-cub. I said I need to think about it."

"We need to think about it." Anne amended, shooting her husband a look.

Ron looked at his father. "How soon should I move in over here?"

"Well, you've got enough stuff over here already. Nothing wrong with tonight. It's not like you have to say goodbye to your mother or anything, we're only just over a mile away." He pushed back from the table. "Speaking of that mile, I'd better head off before it gets too dark. That was a really lovely dinner, Anne. I'm sure Jean's going to love it too, if she can eat any of it."

"Everything should be just fine for her. One of our nutritionists at the Medical Center came up with the recipe."

"Great."

"Gene, you need me to give you a ride home?" James asked, reaching into his pocket for his keys.

"No thanks. The walk's good for the old ticker." He patted his chest. "Goodnight. Ronald, if you want, you should come on over and get everything else you think you'll need."

"Okay, Dad. I'll be sure to spend some time with Mom too."

He sat and shared a look with Kim as the three adults headed to the foyer to see Gene off. After a couple minutes he broke out into a wide grin. "So, just like that, I'm living with you?"

"No." James said as he came back into the room. "You are living with us, and I think we need to have a few rules around here."

_Oh boy._

"First of all, just as I said, you are living with the family, not just with Kimmie-cub. Now I know you have always been just fine being in her room and all, but now that you're living under this roof, once it's bed time, her room is off-limits. Kimmie, the same goes for you where Ronald's room is concerned. It's fine for the two of you to spend all the time you want in the family room, within reason, but once you go to bed, you're upstairs and Ronald's downstairs.

"Ronald, I don't know what you were responsible for in your home, but in this house there are chores to be done. I know it doesn't seem like Kimmie has to do too much, but that was because of the amount of time all of her school activities took up. The two of you have seemingly disappeared since school started, but I don't think it's unreasonable for the two of you to start pulling your weight a little more around here."

"Yes sir." They both chorused.

Anne put a firm hand on her husband's arm. "Since Ron isn't going to be officially moving out of his room at home until tomorrow, the rules won't take effect until tomorrow."

"Anne!" James glowered at his wife for a moment, until an unseen hand signaled gave him the clear indication he would lose any such argument.

"Besides, it's early yet and I don't think the kids want to hang around here on such a nice night. We'll probably be long in bed by the time they get home."

"Anne, I don't go to bed that ear…ly." His eyes suddenly got wide.

Ron was already fumbling for his car keys and Kim was searching for her purse, each realizing exactly what was going on and wanting to get as far away from the house as quickly as they could before any wrongsick images could brand themselves on their minds.

After sitting for a couple days, it took a little longer for his car to start, but a few minutes later they were headed for one of the teen dance places.

"Did your Mom just tell us we can…sleep in the same bed tonight?" Ron said as he pulled onto the main thoroughfare.

"Sounds that way." She thought they should be already snuggling, anticipating one of their favorite things, but other thoughts, other images dominated her mind. "Just, I'm not coming home until I'm certain they are sound asleep."

"No arguments there." He said, trying to banish the same images from his mind as well.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	6. Part VI

**_KP - Countdown : _Part VI – 52 Days and Counting**

* * *

It was well after midnight when they returned and even then they were loath to head for Kim's room, for fear of what unholy sounds might reach their young, tender ears as they passed the second floor. Neither comprehended the irony that deep down they wanted to be making very similar sounds themselves, it was just causing a slight mental overload to be presented with irrefutable evidence that Kim's parents…well.

Ron made the suggestion that they both spend the night in his room. It was on the first floor, meaning they wouldn't have to pass the other bedrooms or linger at Kim's second floor bathroom. After all, it had a full size bed as well and the two of them didn't take up a lot of space in bed anyway with their tendency to snuggle or spoon. Kim rejected the idea outright and when pressed for the reason, stated she simply did not want to talk about it. They eventually made a break for her room, though they needn't have worried. The second floor was quiet as a library with Miss Hatchet on the prowl for noise makers.

They both could have stood a shower considering the high-energy dancing they had done but decided they were dead tired so they quickly changed into sleepwear and settled in for a good night's sleep. With their only plans packing up Ron's stuff to bring over, they wouldn't have to get up quite so early as they had been for the last months.

Sleep didn't come as easily or as plentifully as they hoped. Ron didn't mention anything to Kim about it, but he had the impression several times that night of a head rising from the open hatch in her floor, staring at the bed for a few minutes before disappearing. He didn't know if it was real or just his nerves getting the better of his dreams, but the next morning when they were shaken awake by Kim's father neither of them felt as rested as they had hoped to be.

Part of that problem was the hour. The sun was up and the sky was a fairy bloom, full of tiny puffy clouds and all the colors of a rainbow. That meant it was way earlier than either of them intended to get up. It was just past dawn.

"Breakfast is in twenty, so you two sleepy-heads need to get washed up and ready. Busy bee kind of day, so we've got to carb up!"

Kim groggily pushed her head up from the pillow, rolling her eyes slightly. Her father liked to call a big breakfast 'carbing up' even when there wasn't a single carb on the plate. The scent of fresh cooked bacon was wafting up the stairs, meaning her mother was home that morning, either having a day off or a later shift at the Medical Center. It dawned on her that she had lost track of her schedule recently.

She waited until her father was gone down the stairs before she rolled over and sat up. She was wearing Ron's old jersey as a night shirt and it was bunched up above her waist. She still had on her 'sports' style underwear beneath it, but she didn't want him getting the wrong impression…or even the right one for that matter. Ron had been the one to push her top up like that while they were holding each other. He liked touching her skin.

Glancing over Ron at the alarm clock, her mouth dropped open slightly. It was freaking six thirty! "Rule number two when we get our own place." Kim half whispered, half moaned as she plopped her head back down on the pillow. "If you ever wake me up on a day off before I'm ready, I'm going to give you a top five countdown of my sixteen kinds of kung-fu."

"So noted." Ron got up, sort of rolling, sort of stepping out of the bed. For a moment Kim thought she was going to see a repeat of the day before, which would have been terrible since her bathroom was at the bottom of her stairs, but Ron only stripped off the long pajama bottoms he was wearing over his boxers, changing into his shorts for his trip down to the shower.

Kim yawned and got up, pulling some clothes out of the bottom of her chest of drawers. "Here, Ron. Use the downstairs bathroom…your bathroom now. That'll take less time than me waiting my turn, and we both need it." She took a sniff of his t-shirt. "Bad."

He stopped just short of the hatch. "You know what, we just got to spend the night together and we didn't even kiss, not even a good morning kiss."

Kim covered her mouth slightly. "We kissed plenty in that club's parking lot. You've waited this long, you can wait until you've brushed your teeth and all, now get down those stairs, soldier."

She shook her head as she stripped out of her night clothes and slipped into a pink bath robe. Much as she wanted to enjoy her time with Ron that night, she just couldn't get completely comfortable. It had nothing to do with Him, save for the fact it was a little warmer in there than that winter night her mother had put the both of them to bed up there, making cuddling less attractive.

No, it had more to do with the fact she had the impression of a head appearing in the open hatch several times that night, staring at them for minutes before silently disappearing.

* * *

Anne smiled softly as she threw some more American cheese into the scrambled eggs. Having lived in the house for twenty years, she knew pretty much what was going on with it at any given time. Just from the faint sound of the pipes, she could tell that both Kim's shower and the downstairs shower that Ron would now be sharing with the boys were running. She mentally collected her own bet with herself, thinking there was a one in ten chance the two might actually take a shower together. Even a few weeks earlier she would have thought the chance even greater, but after getting the 'gory details' of Kim's prom night, she knew the two of them were taking it easy. That's why she was confident the two of them would spend a night together actually sleeping. She was quite aware how much that kind of opportunity meant to them, especially to her daughter.

Then again there was James. Twice during the night she caught him trying to sneak out of the room to check on the teens. One look from her and he went scurrying back to their bed. What would he hope to accomplish? Either they would be sound asleep, proving his fears were unfounded; awake and innocently talking and perchance getting scared out of their skins by his spying on them; or the worst-case scenario, where he would obviously blow his stack. She didn't want to chance any of those things happening.

She let a little girl giggle escape as she pondered the possibility that James would enlist Jim and Tim to create little trap gizmos to warn him if Ron tried leaving his room during the night.

That reminded her. The twins weren't yet aware of Ron's new living arrangements. Over the last few months their constant teasing of the older teens (were the boys actually going to be fourteen that fall? Ouch, where did the time go?) had finally tapered off. Somehow her mother's intuition told her that once they realized he was going to be living with them, albeit temporarily, they would launch into a new wave of torment at her sister.

James looked at his watch. "What's taking those two so long?"

A little devil jumped on Anne's shoulder, and she paid it heed. "They're in the shower. I guess they really worked up a sweat last night."

James' face went white. He almost got out of his seat when Ron emerged from the downstairs bathroom, his wet hair combed back over his head.

"Morning, Doctors P Squared." He said, sitting down beside the twins and picking an orange out of the fruit bowl. "That bacon sure smell bon-diggity, Mrs. Dr. P."

James let the top of his paper droop down so he could look the blonde haired teen right in the eye. "Are you even supposed to be eating bacon, Ronald?"

"James, it's not like he's cutting into your share." Anne scolded, setting a plate out for Ron.

"Nah, we never really kept kosher. Now, if Gram Rokowski was to see me eating bacon, she'd drag me and my folks off to her rabbi for a long lecture on the evils of gentile food."

"Speaking of evils, there isn't a reason why you and Kimmie-cub were working up a sweat last night, was there?"

"Oh, we were going at it pretty hot and heavy before we got in. Kim sure can be a wild woman when she gets in the right mood."

Ron's confident grin evaporated instantly when the middle of James' paper slowly started ripping.

"We were dancing, we went dancing, that's how we worked up a sweat. I was teaching Kim some of my badical dance moves and she was getting into it…I swear." He pleaded.

Anne put a hand on her husband's shoulder as she set out a plate for Kim, who hadn't come down yet. "James, lay off the poor boy or I'm going to bring up the 85 break dancing incident."

He immediately went back into hiding behind his slightly damaged newspaper.

Kim scooted in next to Ron in the nook and gave him the kiss she had been promising earlier. James scowled slightly, then decided to let it go since it was really no different than the kiss Anne gave him every morning (after brushing.) It still tweaked him just slightly that his seventeen year old daughter acted as if she was married to Ron sometimes, despite his wife's reassurances about certain issues.

"So, what's the reason for the early wake-up?" Kim asked as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Alert the presses." Her mother said cheerfully as she sat down with her own plate. "Not quite a week out of school and Kimmie has turned into an actual teenager."

"What?" both teens yelped.

"What, what?" Her mother responded. "This is the time you always get up. In fact, you've been up about this time every morning before heading off to Ron's. No reason to change now, is there?"

"But what do you mean about changing into a teen? I've been a teenager for almost five years."

"Staying out half the night, sleeping half the day? Sounds like a teen to me." James grinned at them over his paper.

"I was going to get up at eight." Kim said in her defense.

"Early to bed, early to rise, so on and so forth." Kim's father said with a smug grin.

"Dandy." Kim replied, thinking more of the embarrassing end to her Dad's other platitude concerning candy and fruit. She almost guffawed at Ron's confused look as he polished off the last of his orange.

"So, do you two love birds have any big plans for today?" He finally put his paper down and started in on his breakfast.

Ron dug into his as well, thankful that Kim's Mom put out a plate for Rufus, considering the little guy would have cleaned his while he ate the orange. "Well, we do have to go raid my closets, but that shouldn't take too long. If the weather holds we're probably going to head off to the lake. Kim's been dying to show off her…" He trailed off as a foot crashed into the side of his shin. "…her badical swim team techniques."

"Where are the Tweebs?" Kim glanced at the empty place at the table.

Her mother answered. "They were up about a half hour before you and downed a whole box of Chocolate Coated Sugar Bombs before heading out on some top-secret mission of theirs. I'm expecting the call from Emergency Services at any moment."

"Don't take all day. There are things that need doing around this house." Her father reminded them.

Kim and Ron looked at each other, wondering what fresh torment her father had in mind when he mentioned 'chores.'

* * *

Packing up Ron's things didn't take even as long as they figured. They just stuffed a selection of his clothes into a couple suitcases and threw them in Kim's car. They took advantage of the privacy afforded by his attached bathroom to quickly change into their swimwear. Kim added a webbing beach wrap and a pair of white shorts to her ensemble so she could unveil her little white bikini at the lake's beach. It covered just a little more than the one she had worn in Florida but since it was white, there was the chance it would become very slightly transparent when it got wet, and she really wanted to see Ron's reaction when that happened.

The lake was no where near as muddy as they expected it to be. The mountain streams that fed it had swept the murkiness toward the dam, where it would eventually make its way through the power plant at the bottom and on down the valley that Middleton called home.

The early afternoon sun was still out, chasing even the smallest clouds from the sky, making it quite pleasingly warm to be out in a bathing suit on the beach.

Ron made a bee-line for the lake and its cold water once they got there. She didn't mind one bit, since it gave her a chance to relax. Stretching out on her stomach, she carefully undid the knot on the back of her top, hoping to even out the faint tan lines left from their Egypt mission. This summer she was going to be careful. Just a little bit of sun to start building a base tan, then she'd call Ron up to spread some sunscreen all over her body. It was a good excuse to have him touch her all over and she smiled faintly about it.

Reaching into her beach bag, she set a countdown timer on her sports watch. The warm sun was very, very comfortable and she didn't want to doze off and risk another severe burn like she had gotten last summer. If it hadn't been for her wearing an extremely tiny bikini then, she would have had very embarrassing lines for the remainder of summer.

She was on the very edge of actually dozing off, thinking dreamily about Ron and sun tan lotion and making sure he got all the hard-to-reach spots when her Kimmunicator started chirping. Carefully she reached into the bag, hoping she didn't rise up enough to give the other beach-goers an unwanted show.

"Wade, please tell me I shouldn't be asking what the sitch is."

"Uh, sorry, Kim, but it's Motor Ed. Uh, are you at the beach?"

Kim raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm sunbathing on the sand mound at the hardware store. Hello, it's summer?"

"Ug. Well, if you two want to take it easy, I can pass it down the line." Wade said helpfully.

"Down the line?" Kim propped the device up against her bag so she could re-tie her top.

"Well, GJ does have a team lined up if you guys aren't available."

Kim growled slightly, figuring who would actually be on that team. "No, we'll take it. Got a ride?"

"Be there in fifteen."

"Thanks Wade. Catch you later." She put the Kimmunicator away and started toward the edge of the lake. Ron was just a dozen yards away, lazily floating on his back.

She cupped her hands to her mouth. "Okay, Shamu, we're on."

Kim heard him mutter his usual "Aw, man!" as she headed back to their things, agreeing completely with him. At least she hadn't gotten wet herself yet.

Then she frowned. That meant Ron still hadn't seen her new suit wet.

Phooey!

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	7. Part VII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part VII – 50 Days and Counting**

* * *

Given Kim Possible was raised and trained to view the world in terms of what was scientifically plausible, she was not prone to believing in things like curses, karma and bad mojo. Even the times she had seen what would be considered magic by many, she assumed it was simply something that science had not sufficiently progressed to the point where it could be quantified, qualified and explained. Take Ron's so-called Mystical Monkey Power. So far she had seen it somehow increase his strength, speed, stamina and ability. In all the time since he was exposed to the power, Wade had not been able to detect it, save for the obvious things like when he was surrounded by the flame-like blue aura. It wasn't that Kim didn't believe in magic itself, it's that she didn't think magic was, well, really magical. Wade simply hadn't figured out what it actually was, that was all.

That subject, and the related subject of faith and belief in a higher power led to one of the longest running discussions they had undertaken with Ron's spiritual leader, Rabbi Katz. Kim left that discussion with no more idea how she could believe in God yet have such an attitude about the mystical and science despite everything she had personally witnessed and experienced than she had going in.

All of that aside, she really was starting to believe that somebody had actually put some kind of mojo on the two of them.

Thursday afternoon, get set up at the beach, get a call that Motor Ed is up to his old tricks.

Friday morning, plan a drive to Durango to ride the steam trains, divert to Denver because of a Shego sighting (false alarm.)

Saturday morning they didn't even make it out of the driveway to go back to the lake before the Kimmunicator went off (Dementor, who was doing his best to fill the vacuum left by Drakken, again.)

Before it always seemed like some unseen force was out to keep them from doing something they were, quote/unquote, 'not ready' for. Now it seemed they couldn't even do the normal couples things they loved so much. After the tiny respite they had at the beginning of the week, it seemed like they were constantly on the go.

"Oy, I need a vacation." Kim sat down on the park bench facing the slowly fading painting her one-time sort-of boyfriend, Josh Mankey had made on a concrete bridge abutment with the help of some neighborhood kids. It was nice she only had good memories with at least one of her previous love interests. They actually talked more now that he was seriously involved with one of her other friends than when they were dating.

The memory of the night Josh had shown her the painting was a pleasant one, doubly so because Ron had also saved her life that night. It also never bothered him coming here, as if he felt the place was somehow tied to other important events in their life.

Ron lightly touched the base on her neck, kneading it with three fingers. "We used to go all the time like this. You're just not used to it any more."

Kim leaned over onto him, putting her head on his chest even though the afternoon sun was still quite warm. "You're right, Ron. It's just, I dunno. When we were just friends it was fine for us to be together on missions and stuff. In fact it was doggone spankin if you ask me. Now, I want to spend time with you that's just me and you. I want to do all those normal little things that couples our age do, and not just the stuff we need privacy for."

He put a hand on her waist and gave it a good squeeze. "Isn't that what we're doing right now? Come on, KP. We're not normal. We'll never be normal no matter how much we try. The only way you'd ever get to do all that stuff is by telling folks you won't help them any more and you know what? That won't be you and even if you tried, you'd be completely miserable." He kissed the top of her head.

"You wouldn't feel that way so much if you'd seen me in the water with that suit." She chided, smiling slightly, happy despite the recent disappointments. Leaning forward she pulled free of his arm. She pulled her legs up and sat kind of cross legged on the bench, resting on her knuckles between her legs. Ron had to admit she looked a little sad.

"We really have changed, you and I, haven't we?" She asked finally, looking back at him.

"I don't know if we could help that. It…it's not a bad thing, is it?"

She leaned back into his arms again. "No. Not really. It's just…different somehow. I thought when we got together it was just going to be the same old-same old, except we'd add kissing and other stuff, you know. I'd gripe about your nasty eating habits at BN, you'd call me down for my Kimness, we'd have little fights, we'd make up."

"We still do all that KP. It's just now we can tongue wrestle when we make up." He turned her body towards him slightly. "I'm sorry."

She put a hand on his chest and pushed back a couple inches. "What on Earth are you sorry for?"

"I dunno. Guess I've always got to be doing something, but I figure if I can go ahead and apologize for it now, we can skip right to the making up part."

She pushed further away from him, smiling softly but narrowing her eyes. "What if I should still be mad at you. What if I still need to kick your butt for a little while and cut you off until I know you're really, really sorry?"

"Won't work." He had a sly grin and narrowed his eyes as well.

"Why not?" Kim raised one eyebrow, keenly interested in hearing the answer.

"Because that means you get cut off too and you're the one who gets sick when you don't have your daily dose of Ron-shine."

"Oh really?" She sat away from him and put her hands on her hips in mock indignation.

"Wanna bet?"

"You're on, Mister Smug-mug. What's on the line?"

"Winner's choice." He leaned back on the bench, putting his hands behind his head.

Kim glared at him slightly. "Within reason, I hope?"

"Yeah. First one to admit they need a kiss loses. Mom and Dad kisses don't count, it's gotta be a real lip smacking, tongue dancing boyfriend/girlfriend kiss."

"Good, cause you're so toast. I went twelve years and only kissed you that way once, and that doesn't even count for the obvious reasons."

"No, you're the one who's so toast, KP. The longer I wait, the better I know it's going to be when you give in, and you're gonna give in, I know it. Once you got a taste of the Ron-man, well, it's like those potato chips, you can't have just one."

Kim sat cross-legged again, but this time looked significantly happier. "Now that is what I'm talking about."

"What's that KP?"

"Just the two of us kidding around. That felt really good. Ron, you're my best friend."

"Ain't nothing in the world gonna change that either." He decided to switch back to their earlier subject. "You know, I haven't minded these missions here lately. Well, I minded driving all the way to Denver and back in one day simply because somebody at the state FBI office had tape of a girl who looks like Shego doing the tourist thing in some place called Savannah, but even with that, we were together the whole time. In fact, I don't mind your Dad's rules for the house so much since basically, bed time is the only time we don't see each other. We're together from the moment we get up until we kiss each other good night. Eventually, we're going to get sick of seeing each other all the time."

Kim sat up and looked at him, slightly confused. "How can you say that? Ron, when you went away for a month and like you said, I was almost physically ill."

"I know, but like Rabbi Katz once told us. No matter how much we love each other, no matter how much we care about each other, no matter how much it seems like we're one person, we're not. We're two separate people and there are things that make us different.

"Last summer we got so wrapped up in each other it was almost weird going back to school. We didn't even hang out with our friends all that much and here we are doing it again. Granted, most of them won't be back in town until Monday or so, but hey, let's remember them too."

He pulled her in close again, letting her put her head back on his chest. "Remember when we first hooked up, how we almost lost control?"

"How I almost lost control." Kim corrected.

"Whatever. Remember when I said if we went too fast, we'd burn out and nothing would be left. Well, maybe that can happen with all this togetherness stuff. We do it now because it feels so good but even that may get old after a bit, and when that happens, we're going to start noticing all the little things we do that bug each other." He grinned, hoping to lighten the convo up a bit. "Things like; you snore."

"I do not!" Kim glared at him, though she was grinning slightly, managing to look happy and offended at the same time.

Ron leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Sssssssnnnnnnnnaaarrrggggggggg." He sat back up. "Only louder and deeper and going half the night."

"So not!" Kim punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Let's go to tape." He pulled out his Kimmunicator. "I bet Wade has the proof."

Kim looked like she was on the verge of shrieking. "If that boy has tapes of me sleeping, I'm going right over to his house…you don't really thinks he's been…while we're together?"

"Kim, Kim, Kim. He's a thirteen year old boy."

"Yeah, Ron, that's the problem. Even though all we were doing was making out a little the other night, imagine how it would look to somebody. Or sound?"

He shook his head. "He still gets grossed out when we kiss in front of him. I get the feeling he's going to be a late bloomer, like me."

Kim just made a face. "I'm still going to have a nice long, face to face chat with him and if I'm not satisfied, I'm going to have a talk with his mother."

"Okay, okay, let's change the subject, or I'm not going to be able to concentrate the next time we get romantical and stuff." Ron pleaded.

"That's enough, Baby. I know he's not doing that. So, it's still Saturday, that means it's date night."

"I thought every night was date night in the summer?"

Kim walked her fingers up his chest. "No, that's hanging out with my best friend."

"Best friend with benefits?" He asked, taking her hand.

"You bet. No, this is a go home, get into something nice, then you take me some place nice kinda date night." Her fingers, despite being maybe a third the size, fit between his perfectly. Ron had very strong hands (Kim's were very strong too, just a lot smaller) but he was extraordinarily gentle when he was holding hers. He would squeeze from time to time, but it was always soft, just firm enough for her to know his strength with hurting her.

"Steak?"

Kim smiled wickedly. "I love it when you talk dirty, baby. Say it again."

"Steak!" He said confidently.

Kim made a little face, like she was having a 'moment.' "I lose." She wrapped both arms around his neck and gave him a huge, warm, sloppy kiss. It was just like they had described in their bet.

Some minutes later she broke free, still grinning from ear to ear. "Okay, you win, Ronnie. Just better not be something Dad's gonna send you to the black hole over."

"Rats." He said jokingly.

"Ron, we agreed!"

"Just kidding, KP. Hmmm, what will it be. We agreed to winner's choice." He put a finger to his chin and pondered. Leaning over to her, he whispered in her ear.

"No way! Not that! Don't even consider it!" She gasped in shock.

"What, you'll have to learn how to do it some time!"

Kim waved her hands in front of her. "Nope! Out of the question!"

"You can do anything." He calmly reminded her.

She got up and put her hands on her hips. "I would do anything for you, but I won't do that." She leaned forward, waving a finger in the air.

Ron leaned back, draping his arms over the backrest of the bench. "You know, that's not fair. I'd do it for you in a heartbeat."

"That's…different." Kim tapped her feet, starting to get agitated.

"Really? How? Monique always says, turnabout's fair play."

Kim waved her finger again. "Don't bring her into this. You know that's still a little bit of a sore point between us."

Ron was looking past her. Kim turned around, noticing several people who had been passing by had stopped and were looking at the couple intently. She wondered for a second what was so interesting about their conversation…

…then it dawned on her what it must sound like!

Kim turned so red she would have disappeared from the universe if it had been that night more than a year and half ago.

"Um." She began a little sheepishly. "We're talking about my cooking, see, he wants me to cook for him."

They gave her a look that said _yeah, sure_, and went on their way.

"What was that all about?" Ron looked completely confused. Kim sat back down beside him and whispered in his ear, causing him to turn even redder than she had been, to the point it looked like his freckles would boil off his face.

Taking Kim's hand, he pulled her up from their seat and started across the park. She didn't hesitate, since she wanted to get as far from the people who had overheard them as possible at that moment.

Halfway across the park, Ron let go of her hand and put his thumb through the center belt-loop of her denim shorts, resting his hand on her thigh. "I think I've decided what my prize is going to be." He announced, this time so only she could hear him.

"Not doing that." She said sweetly. "That's as much deep space probe territory as anything."

Ron blushed again, though not as brightly as before. "No, baby. I've decided you've got to pay up by giving me another kiss."

"Now that I'll do." She stopped him and put both hands around his waist, slipping them into his back pockets.

He wrapped both arms around her shoulders and pulled her close. Kim closed her eyes as their faces moved closer together, their noses just brushing each other with practiced ease.

_Beep-beep-de-beep._

Both their eyes snapped open, as if they couldn't believe what they just heard.

_Beep-beep-de-beep._

"This cannot be happening." Kim muttered as she pulled her omni-communications device from her back pocket.

Ron let out a little growl, snatching it from her hands and mashing the accept button.

Wade popped up on the screen. "Kim I…oh, hi Ron."

She was almost in a panic. The look in his eyes a moment earlier was almost wild, as if he was completely out of control. Much as she hated being interrupted like that, she didn't want him taking it out on their friend.

Instead he was instantly calm. "Wade, I regret to inform you that Team Possible is taking the night off and is indisposed and unavailable until further notice." There was still a distinct edge to his voice.

"Chill, Ron. That was my bad, I should have used the personal ring tone. I'm just patching a call through from Doctor Director."

Kim took back the Kimmunicator. "That's okay, Wade, put her through."

It turned out to just be a courtesy call, thanking them for their mission that morning. Kim did ask they be given at least the rest of the weekend off, unless it was a really big emergency and the older woman readily agreed.

They walked on, holding hands again. "I hope I didn't send the wrong message." Ron said, feeling a little embarrassed for losing his cool.

"Actually, I think you sent exactly the right one. We need to go back to helping people who reach us through my website again, not just when GJ wants us." She walked quietly with him for a few minutes. "If they've got this other team, let them use them sometimes. It can't hurt. I'm more about helping people than playing police-woman anyway. Besides, if I'd answered that just then, I'd probably have just bit Wade's head clean off."

They reached Kim's car and she surprised him by heading for the passenger door.

"Kim, holding the door for me is kinda weird." He smiled sheepishly as he reached for the door handle.

"No, silly, you hold the door for me." Grinning, she gave him a little peck as she slipped into the bucket seat.

"You mean I'm driving?"

"S'ha. You're taking me to dinner, so you're the one doing the driving tonight. Forget changing clothes, we're fine for our steakhouse."

"Badical!" he raced around the other side of the car, getting into the driver's seat for the first time. He spent a couple minutes playing with the power seat, setting it up for his longer legs and messing with the inflation controls in the cushion.

Giggling slightly, Kim grabbed him and pulled him close. "I still have to pay up."

Kim always paid her debts, especially when they felt as good as this one. A little thought crossed her mind. Maybe she'd do the other thing for him some day.

Especially since turnabout really was fair play.

* * *

a/n - I've posted cover art for this tale over at DevArt. It can be reached through my profile. It shows Kim as she looked while sitting on that park bench cross-legged. Her outfit is taken from Ivymae457's pic "Twitterpaited"

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	8. Part VIII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part VIII – 47 Days and Counting**

* * *

James somehow had the distinct feeling he had been had. Since both Anne and he were off all day, she had the idea that some significant maintenance needed to be done on the house, specifically that the guest room had gone too long without being painted, considering until last winter it had primarily been used as a defacto downstairs attic. 

So that morning it was off to the hardware store with Ronald to buy paint and fresh brushes, rollers and pans. At first he was headed for the large home-center just down the block from Smarty Mart but Ron headed him off saying it was better to support the little guy trying to make a living at the old fashioned hardware store. That surprised James, who would have thought the boy…the young man would have suggested getting everything for much less at his usual mega-retailer.

The next order of business was moving the furniture out. That ended up falling to the guys as well (no sign of Tim and Jim, who were once again off on one of their super-secret missions.) Kim was in a little bit of a huff, considering she was at least as strong as Ron, perhaps even more so but the men of the house were adamant. Still, it was a fairly good thing they didn't use any of the really nice furniture in the room, considering neither of them were the most coordinated people on the planet.

The 'heavy' moving done, the women moved in to do the painting. Two minutes into it, James noticed all Ron was doing was watching Kim's backside as she worked on the trim. One minute later he was dragging him outside and showing him how to work the big lawnmower. Three minutes after that, he traded with him and put him to work cutting the front with the push mower.

At least Ron's destructive power with a remote control, cybertronic lawnmower with a self-perpetuating power core was honest lack of skill, rather than the Tweeb's particular brand of malicious hooliganism.

After cutting the grass, trimming the hedges, washing three cars and one mini-van, power washing the driveway, scrubbing the oil stains left by Ron's car and reorganizing the garage (a task made significantly more pleasant by the fact it was regularly done anyway and did not include foul evil garden gnomes,) they were ready to check on the girls.

Anne had taken over the trim work, her surgeon's touch handy for doing the trim without resorting to a lot of masking. Since the room had only a single, metal trimmed window it was going along fairly quickly. Kim had been put on roller duty and judging from the fact the multitude of maroon spots on her face were not freckles (much to her relief,) it could be assumed that her skills at house painting were ranked closer to her cooking skills than her world saving abilities.

Since the aforementioned cooking skills were apparently inherited from Kim's father, it fell to Ron to fix lunch for the four of them (still no word from the Tweebs.) He wasn't in the kitchen terribly long. In fact, he spent longer in the bathroom scrubbing his arms and face than he did fixing their meal. He returned with a stack of PBJ sandwiches, which sounded a little blah but he added a few touches of his own, turning them into gourmet PBJs.

After lunch, the boys went back to the hardware store to buy some grass seed, mulch and fertilizer, as well as renting an aerator and a power tiller to try and repair the scorched marks in the back yard.

By seven that evening, everything was done, all except moving the furniture back into Ron's room. The paint wasn't even close to dry (James goofed and didn't get the quick-drying type) so they all decided to leave it all be for the evening and head to dinner, after much scrubbing (and two teenagers silently griping that they couldn't scrub each other like the elder Possibles did, though that griping led to mental images they would rather not have contemplated.)

James was quite pleased with himself at dinner. Normally Kim and Ron would be constantly touching each other, playing footsie under the table while thinking nobody else noticed. Instead, once they had a little food in their bellies, they were about to nod off right at the table. They were plum worn out, especially Ron. He may have, from time to time, professed laziness but once he was set to a task, he obviously wasn't afraid of work.

Ron Stoppable the young man was worlds different from Ron Stoppable the boy who had to be roused from the chaise lounge two summers ago with an invitation to Slim Possible's ranch.

By the time they got home about nine-thirty that evening, both Kim and Ron were fast asleep in the back seat of the S-type. Feeling dead tired himself, James was more than happy to be able to carry his daughter up to her room. The last time he had done so was a much unhappier event early in her Senior year. Then he was wishing the whole time she would wake up. Now he simply wanted her to sleep. For that one shining moment she was his little girl. He could see the freckles on her face and her hair in pigtails. He could see her in that first cheerleader uniform, her teeth clad in braces. He could still see her the first time she called one of her odd jobs a 'mission' decked out in a pair of too-big army trousers and a black mock turtleneck. Back then even her mother considered her too little for a crop-top, but that didn't last long.

Back then was only four years ago.

Back then the blonde haired young man trudging along behind him, gently guided by his wife, was a short, goofy little boy who he somehow thought of more as Kimmie-cub's adopted brother than boyfriend and almost certain future husband.

Anne shooed him out of the room as quickly as he laid her on the bed. Minutes later she came down the stairs herself and collected Ron. He wasn't the least bit surprised when she led him back up those stairs. He frowned slightly, but he had been expecting it. Ron's other choice was bunking down with the twins (that wasn't happening – oh, by the way, they did come home some time while the rest of them were out to dinner) or sacking out on the couch, with all his bedroom furniture for company. At least this evening his wife had a good excuse for putting them together and they were certainly too worn out to do anything besides cuddling, if they even had the energy to do that.

James was well on his way to being in the same condition as his future son-in-law by the time he was ready for bed. It was still very early yet, but both of them had an early day at the office.

"Annie, one of these days, your putting the two of them together like that is going to backfire."

"Really, _Jimmy_?" Neither of them liked being called by the diminutives of their names.

"Yes. I admit, tonight it was just fine tucking them in. Heck, I'm too pooped to pop myself and I'm just too proud of Ronald today to say otherwise, but eventually I think nature is going to take its course." He sat on the bed, unbuttoning the casual shirt he had put on for dinner. "Why is it you are so bent on the two of them together like that?"

"James." She said coolly.

"No, I'm asking seriously. Why do are you so…okay with the two of them like that?"

"Well, honestly, I'm not so terribly concerned if nature does take its course with them, though I really don't think we have to worry about that for some time to come. For another thing, I've come to see just how much they mean to each other and how much it means for them to be together like that. Given the fact I have utter faith and trust in the two of them, it's really nothing more than resting for the night."

"I know. I think Ronald is the one person on Earth I would even think of trusting like that, though I really don't like it myself." He paused as he swung his legs under the covers. "But what if, like you said, nature takes its course? I'm not ready to be a grandfather at forty-five."

Anne shook her head lightly. "That's not likely. Kim has been taking the same prescription I do since she was fifteen."

James just sat there with his mouth open like he was wanting to speak.

"If they want to go that route, then it is much less likely they will have to live with those kinds of consequences. If they're ready, it's within a loving, nurturing relationship and I think it will be perfectly healthy. I'd also like to think it's in the safety of their own home, rather than in a car or someplace."

"You're right, Anne. It's really just me. Kim is growing up and I can't help but think she'll grow away from us."

She snuggled up against him after switching off her light. "If you really think about it, her being with Ron has brought us all closer. Remember when she used to run off to be with him every time we turned around, yet now he insists on family dinners, pizza night and everything? He even wanted to help us build Snowy last winter. Besides, if they decide to get more physical, how is that going to make it different with us?" She put a hand on his chest. "Unless she's forced to choose between Ron and us. If they're ready, that drive can be very strong."

"I guess I never thought of it that way."

"Trust me, James. My mother's intuition tells me they are a long way from being ready, plus I had a little talk with Ron the other night, one I was frankly a little surprised he wanted to have with me, but he told me he could as long as I had my doctor's jacket on."

"I think I'd much rather leave the nature of that talk between the two of you then." He switched his own light off.

"Good boy." She pushed in closer to him. "You sure you're too pooped to pop?"

* * *

Later that evening, or rather very early the next morning, curiosity got the better of him. For once Anne didn't awaken as he slipped out of bed and donned a robe. The wood treads on the iron clad staircase leading to Kim's room had a tendency to squeak, so he took the secondary stairs leading to the third floor hallway. That way, he could always say he wanted to do some reading in the small study located in the central tower of the house. 

He stood at the door for a while, his hand on the knob, his curiosity duking it out with a sense of shame about what he might witness if he looked. Finally the former won out and he turned it, silently peering into the moon-lit room.

What he saw was much more prone to make him break out laughing than anything else. Kim was tucked deep into the covers, sleeping on her belly with her arms stuffed under a stack of pillows. She had a look of utter peace on her face.

Ronald, on the other hand, was facing the wrong way in the bed, sleeping on top of the covers, his feet propped up on the pillows while his head was actually hanging off the foot of the bed. He was wearing a tank style t-shirt and Fearless Ferret boxers. For a moment he wondered if Anne had prepared him for bed as she had Kim but decided it really didn't matter.

Kim's Cuddlebuddy was on the floor, but the little stuffed animal wasn't going to be lonely. Rufus was curled up in a little ball on the plush toy's belly, half tucked into the kangaroo pocket.

As he closed the door he was struck by how similar the scene looked to when they were both little and would 'camp out' in that very room, making a tent out of the bed sheets.

He made his way downstairs, happy that she was still his little Kimmie-cub.

* * *

Rufus opened his eyes and blinked, looking at the door that had just shut, then at his humans. For just a moment he wondered what might have happened if his female human's sire had come in about fifteen minutes earlier. Then he shrugged and went back to sleep. After all, a naked mole rat needs at least twenty hours of sleep each day.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	9. Part IX

**_KP - Countdown : _Part IX – 46 Days and Counting**

* * *

When Kim's eyes fluttered open she was expecting to be completely sore. It had been a long time since she had done any painting and even though she was in top condition for a woman her age, none of that prepared her for the odd positions and repeated motions of painting, even with a roller. Add the fact they were changing the color of the room, requiring three full coats of paint to cover the old 'marigold,' and by all rights her shoulders should need Ron's tender ministrations for at least an hour. Instead she felt completely refreshed save for a little twinge that told her she was going to have him work on her shoulders anyway. 

Sometime during dinner the night before she was realizing painting all day long left her feeling like she did when she swam the English Channel.

It was a very pleasant surprise to find Ron sacked out beside her when she awoke around three that morning. There was no clear memory of going to bed, only her mother helping her out of the old green tank top and capris she had changed into for supper and tucking her in like she did when she was little. A full stomach and half a glass of wine (shared with her mother) had done her in after the hard work.

The logic of him being there with her took a few minutes to sink in. For a moment she pondered what it took for her Mom to convince Dad of that logic. That thought was quickly discarded since it took her down a road she didn't quite want to think about.

The fact she was sleeping in just her underwear in such a situation made her wonder just how many glasses of wine her mother actually had. True, her sports bra was the type that could be worn openly in public, something she did quite regularly when working out, but it was still strange to her.

Not that it mattered. Until that moment early in the morning she had been completely dead to the world, and so was Ron. Propping herself up on one elbow she watched him sleep for a while until her eyes started drooping once more. It was just a tad too warm to snuggle in close, but she put her head on his pillow and draped an arm over his chest. He was sleeping with one leg under the covers, the other poking out. He looked so cute like that, reminding her of the more innocent times she had spent the night in his company, pretending they were on some great camping trip right there in that room. Eight at the time, Ron wasn't a boy, he was her best friend, or in the parlance of the day, her 'bestest friend in the whole wide world.'

Back then it had all been so clear to her. Ron would always be right there. In her young mind there was no doubt he would be with her forever, though the concept of him one day being her boyfriend and very likely future husband didn't occur to her at the time. It was just Kim and Ron, together forever.

What had happened to that? Was it just teenage hormones overloading her good sense that drove her to look for what she now had in other boys? Was it some odd notion that Ron was more of a brother to her when she started noticing them?

For a second she frowned, realizing that, to her, Ron was just a little too small, a little too homely to her adolescent mind. Until just over a year ago, he had always been shorter than her, making it seem there was more difference in their age than just a single week. The frown disappeared when she remembered a talk the two of them had with the Rabbi about that very subject. It was actually good that she set out on her own and had dated other boys. All of that made her appreciate Ron all that much more. Without it, she would have likely never learned to see his soul.

Secretly, she sometimes considered what may have happened if Erik had actually been a real person. Ron would have still come with her to rescue him, that much was obvious. It was also clear he would have again stepped aside and supported her in that relationship. He loved her too much to do anything that would hurt her that way.

The burning question in her heart was what would have come of such a relationship. Would she stay with Erik? Would she have let him into her heart eventually or would she grow away from him like she had Josh? Could he have made her feel complete like she did with Ron? Or would she be secretly miserable, too wrapped up in what she thought was the perfect boyfriend to recognize what her heart truly needed?

Kim took solace thinking a real person wouldn't have been that perfect. There would have been flaws that had not had time to surface in the few short days she had known him. She might not have even fallen for him at all, considering the synthodrone Erik was designed specifically to make her feel that way. His looks, his personality even the way he smelled was keyed to her psyche.

Her heart still ached knowing what even that short time was doing to Ron. In hindsight she could now pick out the slight shift in his behavior following the Moodulator incident. He was growing less random, doing better in school, paying attention to her feelings more and more. That night in the treehouse should have tipped her off, but it didn't. She was under Erik's spell. He even appeared right at the moment she should have seen it, as if his programming was aware what being in that special place with Ron might do to her.

Something about Erik was troubling her. It tickled the back of her mind, not quite coalescing into a fully coherent thought.

"Warm." Ron said in his sleep. She took her hand off his chest and scooted back a few inches. He grew restless and threw the covers the rest of the way off of him. That's when she noticed he was wearing just a tank t shirt and boxers. She was convinced her mother did have a little bit much in the wine department. Despite all the lip-service she paid to being cool with them potentially becoming sexually active, Kim had a feeling deep down that her Mom's feelings on the matter were much, much closer to her Dad's.

Ron started making slight smacking sounds before mumbling more in his sleep. He rolled toward her, onto his side and put his arm around her waist. Kim pulled just the sheet over then and melted into his embrace, despite the slightly warm summer air. A few degrees warmer outside and her Dad would likely turn on the air conditioning since all of them preferred sleeping under heavier covers.

She gave a little start when he started kissing her neck, his hand drifting lower, much lower. It didn't take long for her to realize he was still asleep, possibly having a dream…a very nice dream. Fearing it might be a little too nice, she rolled onto her back and started shaking his shoulder.

"Oh, it wasn't a dream." He whispered as his eyes slowly opened.

"Yes it was." She rolled back into his arms, gripping him like he had her. "Let me guess, less clothes?"

"Um, uh, well…"

"Uh huh." Grinning, she pulled him even closer and started kissing him, forcing her other hand under his body so she could grope his backside with both hands. He returned the favor, though he backed off just a second when he realized the only thing between his hands and her gluteus maximus was a thin layer of cotton. Ron recovered quickly and gave into the early-morning make-out session.

Both of them felt good, basically cutting loose, no longer fearing the boundaries they would not yet cross. They just enjoyed the moment, their hands exploring the rear half of each other's bodies. No warnings had to be issued since both had learned what they could and could not do. That allowed them the freedom to take full pleasure of each other without any hurt feelings, choosing to enjoy the warmth and joy that even certain unsatisfied desires brought them. It was all good and they treasured the fact there was even better yet to come.

After a while they settled down, caressing each other's ears before they admitted once more it was too hot for extended cuddling and they were actually still quite sleepy. The last thing Kim remembered was his hands gently brushing across her chest before he settled down onto his back, instantly asleep once more.

She sat up and stretched. It was full daylight outside, meaning the two of them had been left to sleep in. Both of her parents had to work, so that meant the younger generation of Possibles had the house to themselves that day, if Jim and Tim were even still there. Lately they had been taking off as soon as her Mom force fed them some breakfast and not returning until much later, sometimes even missing dinner (much to both parent's chagrin.) They were thirteen and just entering the first real throes of puberty, with more energy in them than she ever had, if that was even possible. (Kim had a habit of blocking out the memory of her innate Possible wildness at that age.)

Ron was still sawing logs, facing the wrong way in the bed. Sometime between their brief romantic interlude and sunrise, he apparently got a little hot again, shedding his t-shirt. The sight of him lying, face down on the bed, his feet tucked under the pillows, his arm dangling off the side almost made her laugh.

It was just after nine, meaning they had been down for most of eleven hours. That was the longest night of sleep she could remember. Normally her body clock would have her wide awake at six or seven…the latter of late. They must have been more exhausted than she thought. Considering what he had accomplished the day before, Ron had the right to be completely sacked out like that.

Glancing at him to make certain he was still asleep, she slipped out of her top and into her 'Ron style' jersey. This one, at least, was hers for good now. The stitches had started coming undone, so her Mom fixed it, altering it so it would fit her a little better. Come the following fall, she was going to go out and find a pair of pants that matched Ron's so they could appear on campus at Middleton College dressed alike on occasion. For now, though, it was too warm to wear both that and a turtleneck under it, so it only saw duty as pajamas. That would do for around the house until she could get a quick shower. At least with her mother gone for the day she wouldn't get a reminder about not wearing something under it.

Wandering downstairs, she found her brothers sitting at the kitchen table, tinkering with something roughly the size of her old Kimmunicator. She didn't pay it much mind since it was black, therefore not her spare. Gutting her unit for the batteries was something that only happened once, if she had anything to say (or do) about the matter.

"I can't believe you Tweebs are still here."

"We wouldn't be…" Tim started.

"But Mom and Dad said to wait until you and Ron woke up so we could help you put his room back together."

Kim sat down at the table and poured herself a bowl of Cheerios, blowing an errant strand of hair out of her face. The fact there was still work to be done after yesterday had completely slipped her mind. At least it would go quickly, if the paint was finally dry.

Eyeing the coffee pot, Kim poured her milk. "Okay, what are you two up to?"

"Nothing." They chorused, shrugging.

"Ron has spent the night in my room twice since moving in here and you two aren't riding us about it?"

"Nah. Ron's cool." Jim said.

"What?" Kim looked at her brothers in open shock.

They just shrugged again. "Maybe we've outgrown teasing the two of you, Mrs. Stoppable."

"Well, it's about…what did you just call me?" She put her spoon down and glared at them.

They looked at each other. "Hick-a-bick-a-boo?" Tim intoned.

"Hoo-sha" Jim responded as they bolted from their seats. They got as far as the door before they stopped cold.

Ron was standing just outside the kitchen door, stretching his overtaxed muscles. One look at him told Kim what had stilled the two hyperactive teens.

Either he had a strange sense of humor that day, or hadn't been paying too much attention to what he grabbed when he got up. The former seemed more likely since he was wearing her pink bunny slippers. If that wasn't strange looking enough, it was what else he was wearing. He still had on the pale tan boxers with the Fearless Ferret emblems all over them, but above that he had her old lime-green tank top on. It was a very good thing she was ready to retire that one for good, since he obviously had to stretch it a bit to get it on.

Tim and Jim looked at him, then at their sister, then each other. "Wrongsick." They said together before shooting past Ron, streaking upstairs to their room.

"My work here is done." He said, giving Kim a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, until Mom and Dad make you pay for their therapy." She giggled. "Get your narrow little butt back upstairs and put on some real clothes."

"Says the girl wearing nothing but a worn out hockey jersey and a little number with strawberries printed all over it."

Kim pulled at the hem, though it was sufficiently long enough on her there was no way anyone could see her underwear.

"Anyone tell you that you have a very sexy back, KP?" He sat down and started eating right out of her bowl.

She blanched. "You were awake?"

"Well I sure was after that." He got up and got his own bowl, filling it with some of the twin's sugar encrusted garbage.

"So, any big plans for the day?"

Ron shook his head. "Nada. Pretty enough outside, so maybe we can finally make it to the lake. You know what, Kim, as nice as this place is, I wonder why your folks never sprung for a pool?"

"Something to do with the ground structure. Too expensive to fix or something. I don't know, they haven't brought it up in ten years or so. It's not like we can't go to the city pool. At least there I can get some good laps in."

"So, pool or lake?"

Kim looked at his bowl. He's already devoured everything in it and drank down the pink super-sweet milk left behind.

"Well, we've got to finish putting your room back together, so I'm thinking pool. It'll be quicker getting there."

Ron leaned back, looking at the furniture still piled in the den. "Maybe we could forget to do it and other sleeping arrangements would still be in order."

"Don't press your luck, Ronnie. If Dad caught us making out like that, he might get the wrong impression."

"Speaking of, I didn't leave any hand shaped impressions anywhere, did I?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. Better wear a one-piece today just in case."

"Aw, man! Here I was hoping that white one might do what I think it might do."

"All the more reason not to wear it to a public pool, Baby. Really, Ron, we need to cool our jets a little bit about all this. Do you know what the Tweebs just called me?"

"I shudder to think."

"Mrs. Stoppable. I know we've slept like that maybe a hundred times in the last almost fourteen years, but now it takes on a whole different meaning, if not to us, to other folks. It was bad enough when the kids at school were all talking about what we must be doing behind our backs. I so don't want to have to sit down and explain to Jim and Tim what is or isn't going on."

"Ah, KP, they're cool. They don't even kid me any more about it. When was the last time they did that kissy face routine around us?"

"I dunno. They seem preoccupied with something. Just can't put my finger on it."

Ron poured himself another bowl, earning a slight scowl from his 'dietician.' "Just one more. I need the fuel if we're moving furniture this morning. Hey, maybe they've got girlfriends now. They are starting to grow, finally."

Kim smiled devilishly. "Oh, I can't wait. Their comeuppance is way ferociously overdue."

"Uh, long words there for this early in the morning, KP."

"Payback's a Bonnie Rockwaller." She explained with another sly grin. That earned a glare from him.

After breakfast they went back upstairs and changed into some work clothes (this time breaking out the changing screen) and geared up to move the furniture. They were just lifting the chest of drawers when the twins went rocketing by them, heading for the door.

"See ya." It was impossible to tell which one said it as they sped off.

"TWEEBS!" Kim set her end down and shook a fist at them. Thankfully there wasn't that much furniture to move in there. The chest, two nightstands, the bed and an easy chair.

Ron got a curious expression as he slid the drawers back into the chest. "Kim, did you notice what they were wearing?"

"No, I was too busy holding up my end of the chest. What?"

"They were wearing their mission clothes. You know, the stuff they had on when you all came after me at the North Pole and when we got sick that time?"

Kim looks at the door the two younger teens had gone through. "Huh. Wonder what that's all about?"

They both shook their heads and went back to work, eager to get cleaned up, put on their swimwear and get seriously wet.

* * *

a/n - Ron, wearing Kim's tank and slippers, is based on a drawing by Ivymae457 at DevArt. She drew it in response to Levelord drawing Kim wearing Ron's jersey, which in turn was in response to one of my drawings showing Kim in full "Ronstyle" regalia. It's all worth a look - Ivy's stuff can be hilarious.

For a really good look at Kim and Ron in their younger days, Check out Molloy's **Shiloh.**

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	10. Part X

**_KP - Countdown : _Part X – 34 days and counting.**

* * *

It all seemed to have been going so well when it all came crashing down.

Ron continued to stay in Kim's Dad's good graces, though no more opportunities for evening surprises cropped up, save an overnight mission that found the loving couple spending the night in Professor Acari's treehouse lab. Needless to say, Ron didn't do much in the way of sleeping. That is, he spent the entire night terrified that something small and bitey was crawling all over him, not matter what assurances the arthropod researcher gave that his collection was harmless. Kim didn't get much sleep either, though most of her night was spent glaring at him for waking her up with fits of feverish scratching. The fight that ensued on the way home kept both of them from catching a nap on the airplane, though later both apologized and chalked the tiff up to lack of sleep.

It cropped up due to a disagreement over that ultimate couple's cliché – whether the seat should be up or down. What's worse is that Ron brought it up as a joke.

The weekend following the painting day they finally made it to the lake, though Kim ended up wearing Ron's t-shirt most of that day. He was suitably impressed with the qualities of her tiny white bikini once she got in the water. The only problem was any male who saw her would be impressed, as it was a touch more transparent than she was comfortable with. It was quickly relegated to private hot-tub duty, if such a chance ever came up. Kim wasn't the least bit happy, though, when Ron managed to work various forms of the word nipple into his vocabulary the rest of the day (some of which don't actually exist in Webster's.)

What later came known as the Great Saturday Disaster had its roots in a "Girl's day out" called by Monique. They almost had to bodily drag Kim out when she tried flaking, claiming she had plans with Ron. He BFF was going to have none of that, stating that if she could go a day without Felix, who was heading to Massachusetts that fall, then Kim, who not only would be going to school with her boyfriend but practically lived with him, could do without him until evening. Recalling their recent 'too much of a good thing' discussion, Kim relented, but just barely.

Monique tried to round up as many of their friends of the female persuasion as possible, but only managed to come up with Tara and Hope. The rest had already left town or were simply gone on one of many post graduation vacations. As Kim was designated as having the coolest car among them (as well as being the only one with room for all four of them as well as space to pile their shopping bags) they piled into her Cruiser and went mall-hopping, starting at the Lone-Pine Mall in Lowerton, looping around to the snooty high-end fare of the Upperton Galleria, finally ending up at their more familiar shopping Mecca, the Middleton Mall by dinner time. After a bit of shopping (mostly consisting of rifling through the markdowns at Club Banana) they wound up staking out a table in _Whitaker's_, a mid-priced family restaurant attached to the mall. It wasn't extraordinarily fancy and the food was best described as 'nothing special' but they did serve good bread baked in flower pots, of all things. It was their best choice considering their other options were the food court or the nearby Bueno Nacho. (Where, sans Ron, Kim would have to pay.)

While they waited for their meals, they spent the time ooh-ing and ah-ing over the little trinkets their respective boyfriends had given them. Kim, of course, brought out the whole nine yards. Hope went nuts over the emeralds, though Tara and Monique had already seen them plenty.

"I'm still holding out for Josh to give me a sapphire ring like Kim's emerald. He did promise." Tara said wistfully.

"I'm a witness." Him held up her hand, giggling with the rest of them.

"I'm just hoping Felix skips right over my birthstone and heads for the main event if he decides to buy me a ring."

"Girl, you got it bad." Hope said, sipping her soda. "I don't even want to think of marriage until I've been out of college for a few years. That way I can find me a nice, established professional man. No offense to you, Mon, or you too, Kim, but I don't see guys our age as being ready for being engaged. I like Charlie just fine, but there's no way in hell I'm even going to consider saying yes if he flips his lid and proposes."

Kim propped her chin on her wrists. "Why date him, then? Isn't the whole point of dating somebody seeing if the two of you might have a future together?"

"Humph. Not always. I've moved so many times when I was younger, I didn't have the chance of meeting Mister Right when I was little, so I've got to go through all that 'getting to know you' crap every time I start going out with somebody new. Hey, if we're still together after college, who knows. Just don't see that happening since he's going to Bama and I'm heading for Vermont. I've even considered breaking up with him at the end of summer, just to make things easier."

"Harsh." Tara said. "Josh is staying here and I'm going to Kentucky, but I couldn't imagine breaking up with him just because we won't be together physically. It'll give me something to look forward to at the holidays, and give me better opportunities to remind him what he's not getting until there's another kind of ring on my finger." She sighed and emulated Kim's posture. "Tara Matthews Mankey…Mrs Joshua Wendell Mankey."

"Good grief, Tara. That's another thing I don't like about the prospect of marriage. Giving up my name." Hope tore off some more of her bread and dipped it in some olive oil. "I'm going to be Hope Takara no matter who I marry, especially since I've never once dated a Japanese guy."

Monique nodded at Kim. "What about you? You've got a whole lot invested in your name. Say Ron pops the question, are you going to take his name or what?"

"I guess I never really thought that much about it. Marrying Ron seems like it's so far off in the future, though it's funny, my brothers tease me from time to time by calling me Mrs. Stoppable."

"They're not the only ones." Monique said with a slight laugh.

"I guess I do need to stay Kim Possible professionally, at least as long as I'm in the world-saving business, but I can't imagine being anything else but Kim Stoppable."

"So just like that, you're taking his name?"

"Of course I am. Wouldn't have it any other way. What's wrong with that?"

Hope just shrugged and took a long drink of her cola. "Just strikes me as funny, as independent as you are."

Kim blew that little strand of hair off the bridge of her nose again. "I used to think that, but the more I thought about it, the more I really depend on Ron. Plus I've got a little bit of a traditional streak in me."

Monique leaned over to Hope and stage-whispered. "That's why she's still a V.I.R…"

"Monique!" Kim hissed at her friend. "That danged well better be a Monique-speak acronym for something!"

"There's nothing wrong with that." Tara blurted. "Saving yourself for marriage is a good thing. It's a very noble thing."

Monique sat back slightly, grinning like that famous literary feline. "Used to think that, till I found out what I was missing. Girl, you make him wait that long, he's either going to be done so fast you won't even know it's happened or worse you won't even get a chance to get started."

Kim let the other three drone on about that for a while. Hope's…misadventures…with her boyfriends had been famous for getting her grounded from time to time. Monique was walking a tightrope between her strict Baptist father and Felix's fairly permissive mother (who absolutely worshiped the ground she walked on.)

Finally, she found herself speaking without even thinking about it. "I don't know if we'll wait all the way until we get married. Kinda seems awfully far off, especially as close as we are." She blushed a little bit before she went on. "I mean, there's the wedding night and we've saved ourselves an everything, but I've always heard it hurts the first time."

Monique grinned almost maliciously. "Then maybe it's a good thing he'll be done so quick. Me, I'm glad my man is going to know what he's doing that night. Hell, I'm glad he knows what he's doing now."

Tara, who was competing with Kim at who could turn the reddest, looked utterly confused. "I thought, considering his condition, that you had to do the work."

Monique and Hope exchanged glances. Then they both looked at Kim who simply rolled her eyes. She may not have been experienced in such matters, but she certainly wasn't that naïve about them either. "Tell you what, I'll just let your imagination run wild for a bit, then you can get back to me." She told the platinum blonde with a smirk.

Dinner progressed with much more of the same type of 'girl-talk' though it had a decidedly more adult tilt than Kim had ever experienced before. It got her wondering about where she was going with Ron. Even though they had nearly given into temptation a number of times, they generally planned to wait at least until they were eighteen. Even then, it wasn't like they were going to run to the closest hotel room the night of August fifth and rip off each other's clothes. Instead of planning something like that they simply put off the decision about when until at least then. Maybe it would be waiting for their wedding night, though if that were the case it was likely they would tie the knot sooner than later.

Then again, it was not beyond the realm of possibility that they would in fact find just such a room on that particular Saturday night when they would both be legal adults. That was the beauty of deciding not to decide until later. If the time was right then it would be right.

Besides that, there was the trip they were planning. She had tried broaching the subject with her parents on several occasions only to be rebuffed with 'we're still thinking about it.' The looks she got from her Mom told her that she was in her camp, but wouldn't openly throw in with her as long as he Dad was undecided.

Something she hadn't anticipated was becoming more and more clear to her during these grindingly slow last months leading up to her eighteenth birthday. Even a few months ago it was so simple; she could do all these things when she hit that seemingly arbitrary point on the calendar _legally_, but there was still the notion of honoring her parent's wishes. Then too, adult or not, there was the good-old-fashioned 'while you're living under my roof' argument her Dad could bring out. If he put the kibosh on their trip, it would be kaput. There was no legal way he could stop her, but there was still familial honor, trust and love to be considered. If she up and left town with Ron against his (and by default her Mom's) wishes, all of that would mean nothing.

Then there were Ron's feelings to be considered. A lot of what he saw in her was a direct result of how she was raised. Defying her parents on such a grand scale, no matter how much she thought she might be in the right, would not sit well with him. It was no secret that Ron always thought of himself as having two complete sets of parents. He might be prone to laziness, gluttony and occasionally a little mild perviness (is that even a word?) but he was, at his core, an honest and honorable man. There was every possibility he simply would not want to go under such circumstances. Especially since, in the back of her mind, Kim pretty much figured what would actually happen on that trip. The finer points of baseball were still a mystery to her, but she knew that if there were a stadium full of spectators for that event, they would be on their feet cheering.

A single word brought her back to the conversation…

…_party_.

Kim had never been much on parties in general, having only been to a veritable handful and with one exception, they had been celebrating assorted birthdays and the like. On her birthday there were always two cakes, one for her and one for Ron. That way there would be plenty of people to sing happy birthday to him, albeit a week too early. His parents had given up on throwing him a party of his own about ten, since most of the time they consisted of just his parents and Kim and Ron sometimes crying in her arms once the two of them were left alone. She thanked God their days were close enough they could hold their parties together, and thanked her parents as well for having the idea.

The only real _party_-party she had ever been to was a less than stellar experience for her. While it had started out fun, with lots of dancing and a pretty good time being had by all, she ended up accidentally getting drunk - Falling down, trying to have her way with Ron, calling friends and family on the porcelain phone drunk. While she really never had alcohol outside of sips of wine, somebody had been topping her pop off with something she couldn't taste until she was too far gone to notice. The only saving grace was Ron, who realized what was going on before she could do anything too stupid and got her home to her parents. She shuddered to think what would have happened if the same thing had happened to him that night, but he was even more careful than she was. After one can of pop, he was simply going to go to Bueno Nacho and drain the drink dispenser afterwards.

Kim was normally an extraordinarily intelligent person. She was only barely edged out by one of her AP classmates for valedictorian (it was helpful Justine Flanner graduated early or she would have likely placed third.) It wasn't until afterwards she realized just how dumb what she said next was.

"Mom and Dad are going away to a spousal encounter thing this weekend. Maybe we could have it at my house." She said as she dug into her cheesecake.

* * *

Kim had a mental picture of the get-together Monique was planning. It consisted of the four of them, a couple more, plus the assorted boyfriends just hanging out and having snacks and pop while playing DVDs on the widescreen, or possibly chasing the boys out into the yard while they all watched some sappy movie or whatever boy band was hot at the moment. That sort of thing had gone on all the time, though usually it was an unplanned thing where they would all show up and wrest control of the remote from her brothers. It never even occurred to her to clear it with her parents, after all, what could be wrong with having some friends over.

In fact, that's how things started out that afternoon. A dozen seventeen and eighteen-year-olds started out in the family room, forcing the guys to watch a stack of date movies while consuming mass quantities of popcorn (and Kim's personal food-related vice, fudge ripple ice cream.) What nobody, even Monique had counted on was the old Middleton High School grapevine still being somewhat intact. Word was spread that there was going to be a party at the Possible abode, a home noted as being one of the cooler places in town.

About six that evening people started arriving in small groups. By seven Kim started getting an inkling that things were starting to get out of hand.

By eight it was far more than an inkling. There had to be over one hundred people crammed into her home. The music was cranking louder and the party was turning into a major blow-out.

Kim and Ron tried to calm the festivities, but they had already reached critical mass. People were still showing up, some she didn't even know. It had the feel of the time she had been captured by Drakken in the swamps right outside of Fort Summerdell Florida, when Ron spread the word of a party at his lair, resulting in a massive shindig that had the effect of leveling the place. That was well, fine and good for a shack in an abandoned gator farm.

It was ferociously bad in her own home. Most of the furniture in the family room had been shoved aside to make room for dancing. People were overflowing out onto the deck, even milling around in the yards. When she managed to get into the kitchen, she discovered a small stack of kegs already being tapped at a prodigious rate.

Her heart almost stopped when she saw all the empty bottles on the counter. Somebody had been into the garage and found her father's stash of imported lager. Nobody but nobody touched his fancy beer!

Ron was almost in a panic. "KP, there are people in my room!" He didn't have to go into detail about what they were doing in there.

"My room!" Kim suddenly gasped.

Normally it took her all of ten seconds to get from the first floor to her room. By then it was impossibly slow making her way past all the people in her house. Ron was right behind her as she got up there.

Fortunately, no one had gotten that far yet. With Ron's help they moved her chest-of-drawers in front of her side door, which she locked, then they headed started down the stairs, locking the door halfway down. There was no way to latch the hatch itself from the outside and the door lock could be defeated with a normal screwdriver. It's only real use was saying 'not in here,' a stricture she pretty much knew wouldn't be heeded by the crowd.

They got to the bottom step of her black staircase when she heard something over the music and chatter that sent cold chills up her spine.

"KIMBERLY ANNE POSSIBLE!"

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	11. Part XI

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XI – 33 Days and Counting **(if it matters)

* * *

James Timothy Possible was not usually prone to displays of anger. Sure, he could be frustrated, upset, even disappointed, but most of the time he stayed on a pretty much even keel, never letting things get to him too badly. In recent memory, the only times Kim had seen her father truly upset were before he had a regular accountant to manage their taxes and when he found out what nearly happened to Kim while Ron was away in Japan.

The man bellowing in rage at the party goers was barely recognizable. The moment he spotted Kim coming down the main stairs with Ron he simply ordered the two to freeze right where they were. He then proceeded to chase the rest of the revelers out of the house, making enough noise that even those who were in other rooms, behind closed doors, had enough warning that nobody was caught literally with their pants down.

The house cleared out amazingly fast.

Even by the time the party was whittled down to the core group, James was still in a froth.

Normally Kim's Mom would be at his side, trying to calm him down. Instead she seemed just as infuriated and would likely be quite hoarse come morning from screaming at the unexpected crown of partially inebriated teens.

They ended up lined up in the front sitting room, none of them daring to look the enraged parent's in the eye. James eyed each one of them in turn. Tara, Josh, Felix, Monique, Hope, her boyfriend Charlie, Ron and finally Kim.

He held his hands up as if he wanted to slap them down on something. "I…I just don't know where to begin. Do you have any idea how bad this could be?"

Josh held his hand up just slightly. "Uh, sir…"

"Mister Mankey, when I need to hear something out of you I will let you know." He literally snarled at the boy. It was no secret he had always been on James' bad side simply because he never once came inside to introduce himself when he picked Kim up for their dates. He simply rang the doorbell and headed off with her in his red sports car.

Walking back up and down the line-up, he finally came to a stop in front of Josh again. "Son, how much have you had?"

"Uh, I…"

"Don't lie to me, son. I can smell it and it's not coming from those kegs in the kitchen."

"I had a couple beers, that's all."

James leaned a little closer to him, looking much more like the military minded Steve Barkin than the normally calm head of the Possible Household. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen, sir." Even though he was just as tall as James, Josh seemed to shrink a foot.

"Last time I checked, you have to be twenty-one to drink beer in this state. A couple beers is a couple too many." He shifted his gaze to Tara, who suddenly appeared all of three feet tall. "What about you, Miss Matthews?"

"Not a drop, Doctor Possible, I swear, I never, ever drink."

"And you, Felix?"

Felix Renton seemed to be holding his own better than the rest of them. "Not a drop, sir. I couldn't even if I wanted to, some of the medicines I take won't let me."

"Doctor Possible, this is all my fault. I'm the one who suggested…" Monique stared, but was cut off.

"I appreciate your candor, Monique, but for right now I have to deal with somebody else. If I feel it warrants it, I will pay a visit to your parents." He looked up and down the line of teens once more. "For right now, everybody but Kimberly and Ronald, go home. I mean straight home and I want Miss Matthews and Felix doing the driving. One of you can take Miss Takara and…whoever that is home too."

"But Doctor Poss…" Monique pleaded.

"HOME!" He pointed toward the door, not looking any of them directly in the eye.

After the door shut, Kim risked a look around her home. It wasn't as bad as she feared, but it was still awful enough. In a life almost spanning eighteen years, nothing like this had ever happened before. The furniture was pushed back in the family room and just about every drink container the family owned was sitting on every level surface visible. The only think missing from the traditional aftermath of a party was any kind of decoration.

James picked up an empty import bottle and considered it for a second. The fact more than one hundred dollars worth of beer he had to drive to Upperton to buy was now gone was only a tiny fraction of the anger he was feeling at that moment.

Finally he sat down on one of the stiff backed chairs of the formal living room, rubbing his forehead with both hands.

"Kimberly, Ronald, go to your rooms. We will talk about this in the morning when I am calmer."

"Uh, Mr. Dr. P, I kinda don't want to go in my room at the moment." She cringed, expecting a verbal katana to flash out and take his head off in one blow.

Instead, James just scrunched up his eyebrows. His voice had gone from utter rage to just simply tired and old. "Fine, go to Kim's room. The two of you sleep together all the time anyway." The utter resignation in his voice was heartbreaking. Kim realized what it might have looked like to him since they were upstairs when he came home.

"Daddy, I…"

"No, Kim." He said quietly. "I am not going to discuss this tonight. In the morning."

* * *

Kim and Ron lay stretched out on her bed. Neither knew exactly what time of night it was since both of them had been lying that way for some time, staring at the ceiling. There wasn't much talk and there certainly wasn't any of the joy the two experienced when they were allowed to stay up there together. In fact, the only preparation they even made for bed was taking their shoes off. Ron was still in his jersey/shorts combo and Kim was wearing her low-cut jeans and cami top. He may have looked completely ordinary, but she knew the way she was dressed screamed party.

Neither wanted to say anything, especially with the sounds of Kim's parents cleaning downstairs. Finally even that ceased, the slight creaking of the stairs signaling the approach of one or both adults.

Anne seemed momentarily satisfied the two of them were lying on top of the covers as they were. "Where are Jim and Tim?" She asked, turning the main lights on.

Kim sat up, looking at the clock. It was a quarter past eleven. "Oh my God! I don't know. They weren't home when we got back in this afternoon."

"You didn't even think to wonder where they were? Kim, they're just thirteen years old!" Anger slipped back into her mother's voice.

"I…we didn't even notice with the party getting out of control like it was." Kim grabbed her purse off the foot of the bed and pulled out her Kimmunicator. She dialed the numbers several times, only getting their voice mail. Ever since the boys had grown old enough to go without babysitters, they had been instructed to keep their cell phones with them and turned on when they weren't home.

"Don't you think I've tried that? Their curfew is nine o'clock and they've broken the rules about their phones again."

"Hold on, I'll wake up Wade." She pushed the main call button. Surprisingly, the screen winked right to life.

"Hi, Kim. What's up?"

"Apparently you. Never mind, I need you to tie into the GPS locators on the Tweeb's cell phones."

Wade looked absolutely stricken for a moment. "Uh, okay. Got their numbers?"

Kim thought that was strange. Wade could call those numbers up faster than she could recite them, though she did so anyway. "Wade?"

"Oh, yeah, here we go. Sorry, they aren't showing up on the Middleton grid. Must have their phones turned off."

"Wade? You know as well as I do those phones can be tracked even if they're off. You know something."

Anne took the Kimmunicator right out of Kim's hands. "Wade, where are my children?"

"I'm not supposed…"

"Wade, you either tell me where Jim and Tim are this instant or so help me God when I'm done talking to your parents you'll never lay a finger on a computer keyboard again!"

Wade closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. "They're on a mission."

"THEY'RE ON A WHAT?" Kim, Ron and Anne all screamed at once.

"They're on a GJ jet on their way back there right now. They've been going on low-priority missions for about a month now, all safe stuff, I can assure you."

With a calm, measured voice, Anne said. "You tell the pilot of that thing I want them here ten minutes ago, you understand?"

"Yes, Doctor Possible."

Anne handed the device back to Kim. The screen had already gone back to the default Team Possible logo. She stomped uncharacteristically down the stairs, leaving Kim and Ron in her wake.

* * *

"Do you have any idea what could have happened?" Kim's Dad asked the two teens. The day had dawned cloudy, adding to the sense of doom that they were feeling. Kim's Mom hadn't even bothered telling them to wake up. Kim was still lying on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and Ron was sitting in her puffy blue chair, flipping through random fashion magazines.

James was sitting at the kitchen table, his hands folded in front of him when they came down. With a gesture with his eyes they took seats across from him. Anne sat down beside him and looked directly at them.

Through some miracle, the house looked pretty much like nothing had happened the night before, though Kim was sure if it had gone on much longer that would not be true. The only sign that anything had been amiss was a stack of beer kegs still sitting in the middle of the kitchen and a pile of large garbage bags sitting on the kitchen porch, visible through the storm door.

"Dad, I never meant for it to get like that. It was supposed to be just a few of us."

"Yet…it did." He said calmly. "Even if it was supposed to be just your friends, since when have we ever given you permission to have a party in this house? It's one thing to have a few of your friends over in the afternoon. It's quite another thing to invite them all over at one time, especially when neither of us are here. Not to mention your mother tells me you didn't even think to wonder where your brothers were."

"Where are they?" Kim glanced around, not catching sight of either of them.

"They are in their room. We will deal with them in due course, but what they did has no bearing on…this." He pointed at the large aluminum containers. "Of all people, with what has happened to you in the past, you allowed a party with drinking in my house?"

"I don't even know who brought those. By the time so many people were showing up, all I could think of was damage control." Kim put her hands on top of her head and slumped down to the table. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Sorry doesn't even begin…Kimberly." She cringed. Not once since they had come home had he called her Kimmie-cub or Kimmie. "If a single one of those kid's parents get upset…if one of them got hurt do you know what would happen?"

"I'd so be toast." She moaned.

"No. You are 'toast' anyway, but your Mother and I would be the ones to pay the price for this. Did it ever occur to you that you are a minor? A child in the eyes of the law? Do you have any idea what they can do to parents if we're found at fault for something like this?"

"It wasn't supposed to be this way. I swear, it wasn't."

James just turned his attention to the other teen shivering in his seat. "What about you, Ronald? I thought you were so trustworthy. I thought you always had Kimberly's back."

"There wasn't anything I could do, Mr. Dr. P. People just kept coming and coming. Then I looked in my room…"

"Your room is fine, Ron." Anne assured him. "I changed the bed just in case. You should be fine back in there tonight."

"You're not kicking me out?"

Kim's parents exchanged a look. "No." James said finally. "That's not how we do things around here, and besides, I don't want this sort of thing affecting your mother right now. As it stands…I don't know where this stands. This goes against everything I have ever come to expect from the two of you. I don't even know where to begin about how much this tears me up inside.

"The only thing I was prepared to have to deal with between the two of you was sex. Not this, not drinking and debauchery…in my home no less. Yet, much as it pains me to admit it, this is our fault as well."

"Huh?" The two teens said at once, sitting up suddenly.

"I guess the two of us have been spoiled by the good behavior we've come to expect from you. We never sat down and forbade things like parties. It was always things like boys and coming home too late at night. We were complacent, thinking somehow the two of you were more like adults, especially this last year. Now we know we were wrong. You are teenagers just like any other and it looks like we now have to treat you as such.

"Kimberly, Ronald, you are both grounded for two weeks. No missions, no dates, no trips anywhere. You will stay on this property unless Kim's mother or I say otherwise."

Ron was confused. "You're grounding me?"

"Yes, Ronald. When we brought you into this house, into this family as a guest, we assumed the responsibility for a minor child. You may only be a minor for a few more weeks, but the fact remains, you are seventeen. Now, if you don't think I'm being fair, then I will call Gene and we can all sit down and discuss your punishment, but I don't think your mother needs that kind of stress right now and I have a strong feeling he may have much more in mind for you than I do. So unless you think otherwise, we are the ones handing down your punishment. Is that fair or should I call your father?" He pointed at the telephone in the kitchen.

Ron slouched back down. "Yes sir, that's fair."

James nodded. "The cars are not to move unless we say so. I am not restricting the television or the computers, but as I said, no missions. You can call this Doctor Director and tell her you will not be allowed to for the next two weeks, starting today." He paused a moment. "Look at me, both of you."

Hesitantly they looked up and met his eyes.

"Against my better judgment, I have allowed the two of you to act as if you are a married couple. That has been a mistake. Kimberly is my teenaged daughter, my seventeen year old teenaged daughter, Ronald. I don't have any problem with the two of you dating, I never did, but I think things have gone too far between you two, especially at this age. In my day I would have never dreamed that my minor child was going to be allowed to sleep with her boyfriend in her room."

Kim started to speak but her Dad held up his hand to silence her.

"Don't bother telling me nothing has happened. I know that. I have trusted you both up to this point, but if things continue the way they are I don't know what will eventually happen. When the two of you are adults you can do pretty much as you please. You can move out and live on your own if you like. I'm sure the two of you are intelligent and responsible enough to do that, but so long as you live in my house, in our house." He amended, laying a hand on his wife's. "I will no longer be an enabler for something I do not approve of. Ronald, when you moved into this house I laid down some ground rules and for the most part you have abided by them, but from now on, I don't care if one of your super-villains show up and destroy your room, there will be no more sleeping with Kimberly. That includes in the den. If you go on a mission, you will have separate sleeping arrangements if you are forced to stay overnight. Also, during your punishment you are not allowed into each other's rooms for any reason."

"But, we…" Kim started.

James cut her off, shaking his head. "If the two of you want to act like you're married, then wait until Ron turns eighteen and go find you a place to live. From now on the two of you are going to behave just like any other kids dating. Am I understood?"

"But we love…"

"_Am I understood?"_

"Yes sir." They both said.

"Kimmie, Ron," Anne said gently. "We know the two of you like being together, but your father and I have agreed it's been going too far, at least for right now. It's only, what, some thirty days before you turn eighteen?"

"Thirty three." Kim replied.

"Thirty eight." Ron said, putting his forehead down on the table.

"This has nothing to do with your relationship." James said. "Far be it from me to break the two of you up. This is a punishment, and one I think is quite honestly merited, given the circumstances. Now, I think it's likely that neither of you have had much rest, so go to your rooms and try to take a nap, unless either of you would like some breakfast first."

"Not hungry." Kim said softly. Ron looked like he was about to say something, but just shook his head instead.

The two elder Possibles watched as the two of them went their separate ways. "Anne, do you think I was too hard on them?"

She shook her head sadly. "No. Even if things did get out of control, it was on her watch, and I'm still upset with her for not thinking about her brothers."

"What are we going to do with them?"

"Honestly, James, I don't know. We can't forbid them from going on missions since we never did with Kimmie."

"But they did it behind our backs."

"Then that's what we have to punish them for. We will just have to set down some boundaries and conditions, just like we did for her. She was just twelve when she started, you remember."

James slumped down on his arms in a very good impression of Ron. "I know. It's just, with her it was mostly rescue missions, helping people. With Kimmie-cub, why do I feel guilty about banning them from each other's rooms?"

Anne laid a hand on her husband's shoulder. "That's because we know we can trust them. Honestly, I think I really overstepped my bounds allowing what I did. I just don't see Kimmie as a little girl any more. She really is a grown woman now, even if the clock doesn't say so, but you're right, she is to young to be living with Ron, at least right now. Like you said, this two weeks thing is a punishment. All we did was take away something they enjoy, but only temporarily."

"I guess so. Maybe I'll ease up on them after a week or so. Heck, maybe we could take them camping or something, let them share a tent."

"That's a good idea. You know, come August, they're going on that trip anyway."

A little smile crossed his lips. "Don't tell them we've agreed to that yet. I almost came out and forbid it outright just now, but I didn't and I'm not going to be some ruthless dictator adding to their sentence after it's handed down. Just, until we release them from their grounding, let's not mention it. Make them sweat it a little, just so they can think about things."

"Why James, that's downright underhanded, but in this case, I think it's a good idea."

He sat up and folded his hands on the table once more. "Okay, go get the twins. Court is now in session."

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	12. Part XII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XII – 30 Days and Counting.**

* * *

Ron sat alone on a bed he was temporarily calling his. It was actually a bit of a luxury compared to what he was used to, considering he had slept on a lone 'twin' sized bed since he was old enough to sleep on an actual 'big boy's' bed. When he was eight, he begged his parents for something nicer. He was enthralled by some of the children's room beds he had seen at furniture stores; the ones with drawers along the base and ladders reaching the top of the bunk bed. He would sit awake at night in his little bed and pick at the paint, revealing the pink frame under the blue. His first real bed was a hand-me-down from one of his many cousins and the only concession made by his father when they acquired it was to paint it dark blue. It still had a headboard featuring carved fairies and unicorns and once he reached an age where things like that mattered, he could no longer tolerate sleeping in a girl's bed.

He dreamed of those fancy, natural wood colored bunk beds, where one bed would be high in the air, reachable only by a wide ladder of dowel rungs, with another bed tucked in below it at a ninety degree angle. Such night-time furniture certainly would be wondrous and since he had finally accepted he would never have a little brother to play with, it would be a marvelous chance for Kim to come over to his house for sleep-overs. He had been to her house and spent the night there seemingly countless times. (He did learn why his parents needed him out of the house from time to time later, but that particular fact he blocked from memory.) Every time he begged his parents to let her, they simply said there was no room for her and the guest room was not made up. At the time, Kim wasn't a girl, she was his best friend and there wasn't anything wrong with spending as much time as he possibly could with her.

Ron was delighted when they told him they finally got him a new bed. He saw the empty cardboard boxes waiting to be shoehorned into the garage and recognized them from the furniture store. He rushed up the stairs, hoping his dream bed was waiting in his room for him. Half of it was.

They bought him the platform bed with the built in clothes drawers. While it was worlds better than the now mostly pink girlie bed he had slept on for years, it didn't have the top bunk he knew would always be claimed by KP. In fact, he later found out it still had the same mattress as before, just transferred to the new bed. With all but his nightlight turned off, it was almost like nothing had changed, except he was a few inches closer to the floor since there was no box-springs any more.

The full-sized bed in 'his room' should have been more comfortable. His feet didn't hang off the end and he had enough room to spread out instead of hunching together in a fetal position. The mattress was smooth and soft, not springy and lumpy like the one back home. In fact, the first few days he spent in there once he officially moved in, he slept pretty well.

Now, for three nights, he tossed and turned and found himself wishing he was back at home in his too-small, lumpy bed.

If he had been prone to watch that stupid sitcom _Pals_, he would have described the atmosphere in the Possible home as _moopy_.

Terms like _cooped up_ and _cabin fever_ came to mind. Even a few short days ago the thought of spending entire days right there with Kim would have been just fine with him. Instead he felt like he was imprisoned with her, and not only her, he had to contend with her brothers as well.

James Possible handed essentially the same sentence down on the twins, though they didn't have the extra burden of being nearly banished from each other's company. That pretty much meant all four teens were trapped in that house for the greater part of the day. At first that seemed pretty okay to Ron. It shouldn't have been that much different than what he was used to before. He'd get up in the morning, get a shower, get dressed and go meet the love of his life and they would go about their day together. They would do their chores in short order and go back to what they preferred doing; spending quality time together.

It started out fine the first morning. He met Kim at the breakfast table and they exchanged a quick good-morning kiss. Then, just before leaving for work, her Dad laid out what the four of them were to accomplish during the day. It didn't seem like all that much, especially with all of them doing their parts. It all should have been done around lunch time, leaving them some time to spend either sprawled out in the family room watching TV or outside.

What he didn't count on was Kim basically being Kim. The PMS he was already taking into account, but what he wasn't aware of what that she basically had never been expected to do too much around the house. Her lifestyle pretty much gobbled up all her time, so she never learned the finer points of laundry, cleaning and other 'women's' jobs.

Kitchen appliances were not the only things that did not like her.

There was also the problem with the twins. While they had mellowed in their teasing of the older couple, they were still two bundles of seemingly endless energy and mischief. Cooping them up together in the house all day was like taking two tomcats, stuffing them in a bag and whacking it with a stick. Fun to watch if you're predisposed to cruelty, but downright frightening when you're trying to accomplish your own tasks.

The combination of bottled Tweebs, Kim's hormone enhanced moodiness and the foul mood her situation had already put her in was almost too much for Ron to handle. By the time he was done with the yard work he was assigned, he had to redo more than half the laundry and clean up the various disasters left by the boys. Needless to say, when all was said and done that afternoon, romance was not in the air. Not that it mattered much, since any such private time would have been cut short fifteen minutes later when their Mom came home from the Medical Center.

Ron simply went back to his room toting one of the many ultra-long books Kim had been assigned during the latter half of Senior AP English. Even though that class had been small, the teacher, an ex-marine, must have spent a fortune on books. He insisted they keep each and every one in their personal libraries. At least it gave him something better to do that listen to news on TV or spend time surfing the internet.

By the third day he realized that one good-morning kiss was the last one he had from Kim. The last two days, once she finished her chores, Kim simply went up to her room. What she did there, he didn't have a clue, though he somewhat suspected she was doing something along similar lines to him.

The particular book he had wasn't as hard to follow as he imagined. Problem was it was just about as big a snooze-fest as _Lo, The Plow Shall Till the Soil of Redemption_. Without realizing it, he shunted off the part of his brain reading and let the rest wander around thinking about his current situation.

It was the end of June, the weather was fantastic; warm without being humid. He was stuck inside or at least in the yard of Kim's home for another week and a half.

He wanted to spend romantic time with his girlfriend, yet at the same time felt uncomfortable about pursuing it.

That same girlfriend really, really didn't seem to want to spend any romantic time with him either.

He really, really wanted some Nacos.

To top it all off, he felt he was being punished for something that was not his fault. What exactly was he supposed to do? Tell Kim not to have a party at her house? How was he supposed to know it would turn into a monster teen blowout?

Kim didn't even use the word _party_ when she came back from her day with the other girls. She said they would have a 'get-together.' The first inkling it was meant to be more than that was when she came downstairs after changing clothes. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. While he was used to seeing her in the low-cut jeans, she had taken to wearing longer shirts with them. That afternoon she put on a black camisole top that was completely opaque at the top but partially transparent below the bust line. She also had her big red bangles and gold belt on. It was her 'party uniform.'

When more people started arriving, he didn't think much of it. They started out as just a tiny trickle but before either of them could say anything it became a flood. In hindsight they should have split up and covered the two main entrances to the house, turning people away. Instead they stuck together, allowing people to pour in through both the front and back doors, as well as the doors leading to the deck.

Ron wanted to hold Kim in his arms. He wanted to kiss her repeatedly. He wanted to entwine his fingers with hers and stare lovingly into her green eyes. He wanted to be alone with her and push the boundaries they had set for each other. Being honest with himself he admitted he wanted to go crashing past those boundaries. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, that sort of thing.

Being honest with himself he knew he would not do that. He loved and cherished Kim too much.

At the same time, he came to the conclusion that it was Kim's fault he could not do these things. There was a difference between her saying "No, not now, I don't feel like it," and creating a situation where they simply could not. He was used to her being that way, especially during that dangerous time leading up to her time of the month.

Ron wasn't fully aware of it on a conscious level, but he was starting to feel resentment toward Kim. If asked he wouldn't know what to say. He loved her with his whole heart and wanted to be with her but blamed her for what was happening to them. If he fully understood those feeling, he would likely not wait, he would call Rabbi Katz directly and ask him about them. Unfortunately, it was not that simple.

* * *

Kim lay stomach down on her bed, facing the open hatch leading to the rest of the house. It was a nice, sunny afternoon. She should be outside, even if it was only in the yard as her grounding specified. Only she didn't feel like that.

What she wanted was for Ron to come up those stairs, sit down on the edge of her bed and make her feel better. She didn't care whether it was just his kind voice or his gentle, loving touch. Kim just wanted him there with her. Being honest with herself she realized she would not care if those gentle, loving hands proceeded to undress her and draw her into and embrace of ecstasy. She knew Ron would never do that until she told him she was ready and that she would not tell him that until she knew he was as well but the physical attraction, the need was there. It was always there even when they were separated by two floors and a set of angry parents.

Instead he was sullenly retreating to his room. Kim realized she should have stopped him today but couldn't make herself speak as he took a book from the shelf and headed for his room. She shared a look with her brothers, who didn't smile or nod or shrug or anything. The unhappiness in their home was an almost palpable thing, as if the whole place was filled with some thick, viscous fluid that impeded their movements and made it hard to breath.

Kim felt like crying, yet tears would not come. She finally understood what that ditzy character on _Pals_ meant when she said _moopy_. The line always brought a smile to her face before. Now that she was living it, all the humor quickly drained away.

The whole of their punishment was just so ferociously unfair! It was one thing to ground them. That much seemed unavoidable, given what had happened. Even that seemed harsh to her, since it wasn't her fault. She never agreed to that kind of party, she thought it was just going to be a few of her closest friends.

In hindsight, she realized she should have never said "Let's use my house" in the same conversation as "Party." To herself she swore she would never, ever invite anyone to anything called a party where she lived unless the word 'dinner' preceded it.

The second half of their punishment was just horribly, horribly wrong. Her Dad's words to her were like a slap in the face. She wasn't living as if she was married to Ron. If that were trued then the two of them would have already been joined, they would have already experienced that most intimate form of togetherness. What part of her still being a virgin did her father not understand? And how could her mother betray her like that? All of that talk about trusting her and the decision being hers and Ron's? What about that?

In her mind, by all rights she should just march down those stairs and into Ron's room and throw him onto the bed if he wasn't already there, to hell with what her parents thought. By all rights Ron should be coming up those stairs, prepared to do the very same thing. Instead she just lay there, rooted to her bed, wondering if the two of them could weather this for two whole weeks. It had only been three days and it was killing her.

Sure, she had been a real pill to Ron during the last couple days, but she knew he wouldn't hold that against her. He knew when she was entitled to be cranky and she had been having mild headaches and cramping along with the hormones and water retention. Come Saturday, all that would come to an end, right on schedule.

Kim almost rose from the bed but stopped herself. If she went to Ron's room right then she would not only be breaking the conditions of her grounding, when her parents came home from work later that afternoon they would find the two of them in a sitch that would only make matters worse.

* * *

James looked forlornly at the stairs after dinner that night. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the frame while Anne put away the freshly washed dishes. Half an hour earlier all four kids had summarily adjourned to their respective rooms. There was no restriction on the TV, so it concerned him that none of them wanted to spend any time in the family room watching it.

He never watched any of the popular sitcoms with his daughter, so there was no way he would know to call the kids anything other that just plain glum.

"Anne, do you think I went overboard?"

"About what, Dear?" She put the last of the dishes away and joined her husband, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"With all the kids grounded like this, it's so…depressing."

She put a head on his shoulder. "Well, they're all acting like they're being punished. Isn't that what we meant to do?"

"I guess so." She slumped his shoulders slightly. "I just don't remember having to punish all of them at once. Then there's the way Kimmie-cub and Ronald are looking at each other."

Anne cut in. "You mean how they're not looking at each other?"

"Yeah, that. I shouldn't have said what I did to them. They've done nothing but behave like good kids and all I did was bless them out for it. All because I have some stupid notion that Ronald means more to her than I do. Now all I want to do us go down the hall to that room, grab him by the collar, drag him upstairs and tell the two of them to kiss and make up, but if I did that it would tell all four of them that I don't mean what I say when I hand down punishments."

"James, the purpose of punishment isn't to do harm, it's not to make them unhappy, it's to teach them a lesson. That there are unpleasant emotions attached just makes it work better. They associate that unpleasantness with what we consider to be bad behavior."

"Dammit, Anne, that's the problem. They deserved to be punished for the party thing. There's no getting around that, but there's no way to get around the fact I've punished them for being in love, that I've punished them for wanting to show that love in a way that for them is really right. That's why I'm feeling so guilty about all of this."

"The why don't you sit down with both of them and explain that to them? Be honest with them and apologize if you are sorry for it. Or do what you suggested before, let's take the whole family and get out of town for a couple days. I have some comp time coming to me and the administrator is after me to take it while things are relatively slow. What do you say, let's all just load up some tents and some beans and weenies and some marshmallows and head out into the woods."

James nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, how about Saturday?"

"Nope, no good." She shook her head slowly but emphatically.

"Why not?"

"Well, for Kimmie's sake."

"I don't get it."

Anne turned around and looked her husband in the eye. "You know that being on the pill, my cycle is like clockwork?"

"Yeah."

"Remember a few weeks ago when I told you Kim takes the same ones?"

"Oh." He blushed slightly as he got it. "I think I'll call in and take Tuesday and Wednesday off then."

"Sounds like a plan to me." She wrapped her arm around his back again and gave him a good squeeze.

* * *

It was almost midnight and Kim was through with the punishment. Her being apart from Ron was just too unfair. She quietly climbed out of her bed and changed out of Ron's old shirt into her purple silk nighty, slipping a bath robe over the top of it. With a slightly wicked smile she headed down her stairs.

* * *

Ron sat up in his bed with a start. Suddenly everything was clear to him. He was blaming Kim and it was poisoning his feelings for her. That just couldn't happen.

There was only one thing to do, and that meant an open defiance of the Possibles. Well, becoming a man meant becoming your own man, so he donned a t-shirt and headed out his door.

* * *

Kim and Ron almost plowed into each other on the main staircase. They were so intent on making their way to each other's rooms they weren't even aware of each other's presence until they were mere inches apart.

"I was just…"

"Uh, I was…too…what?"

The moon was up, but it was a waning crescent, so it only cast a small amount of light. Still, they stood there for a few minutes looking into each other's eyes. All the anger and angst of the last three days melted away as the apologies and acceptances flowed between them without words. Moments later they grabbed each other in a fierce hug that went on for many minutes.

They sat down on the step, their mad dash to each other's rooms forgotten for the moment. Kim put one arm up over Ron's shoulders, resting her other hand on his thigh as she rested her head on the space between his chest and his shoulder. They sat that way for a while, just holding each other. Finally Kim looked up at him and kissed him. It started out like the little peck they had shared a few mornings ago, but it quickly turned into the kiss they both had been longing for.

* * *

James wasn't sure why he was up and about. His eyes just suddenly snapped open and he was wide awake. He didn't need to go to the bathroom, nor was he particularly hungry or thirsty. Still, he put on a robe and quietly tiptoed out of the room, leaving Anne fast asleep. The night of the party they had left the Spousal Encounter early, wanting to go home and have a little encountering of their own. That got sidetracked by spending half the night cleaning up the mess and the first couple nights into the kid's punishment it didn't seem right either, until earlier that evening. Their marriage was as sound as ever.

He moved down the hall with a grace that would have made at least a novice ninja proud. He reached the top of the stairs and stopped short.

Kim and Ron were sitting on the steps halfway down, kissing. He knew immediately it was the kind of kiss the two only shared in private, but somehow it wasn't so bad seeing it. In fact, he smiled a little to himself. They weren't breaking the rules. They hadn't snuck into each other's rooms and there was never any prohibition about the two of them making out. As long as that's all they did, that was actually fine with him and the kids had demonstrated time and time again that's where they stopped.

It was time to leave the two of them alone. If they were going to sneak into one of their rooms, he wasn't going to be there to catch them.

Being even quieter than before he snuck back to his room, gently closing the door so the latch would not click.

It was time to wake Anne for some more 'encountering.'

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	13. Part XIII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XIII – 25 Days and Counting**

* * *

Take any group of people and ask them what a camping trip is. You're likely to get any number of answers. Some will say it involves a camper and a fire and marshmallows. Others will describe something at the other extreme, where you load everything you need onto your back and hike so far into the wilderness your only hope of rescue is by helicopter. A great many will tell you something somewhere in between.

When James Possible ventured into the woods he had to have the following: Tents, backpacks, hiking boots, s'mores ingredients and enough waterproof matches to build a campfire without gathering wood. It didn't matter if the trail was one hundred yards or ten miles, he just had to have a nice level patch of ground, a place to build a roaring campfire and a creek (crick in camping parlance) or lake nearby to catch dinner (his fishing skills being distinctly average, plenty of other food was brought along as well.)

Kim and Ron already had their own gear, of course, but her Dad saw to it the rest of the family was outfitted with the newest, most up-to-date equipment possible for Possible. They all had high-tech packs with carbon fiber external frames. There were two new geodesic dome tents, a miniature, lightweight camp stove and a whole host of little gadgets like GPS locators and folding camping tools of every type.

All that set Kim's eyes to rolling. They were camping overnight, not participating in military wilderness survival training.

Even though the grounding had been lifted as of Saturday morning, Kim was still cranked. While she was happy to be able to go out on a date with Ron that night and to round up her 'friends' for some well-deserved reaming for turning their 'just some friends' party into a scene from one of those nasty 'Pie' movies, her parents had summarily announced a family camping trip that coming Tuesday.

Normally that would have been just fine, but the moment their restrictions were lifted, Kim and Ron went straight into planning mode for that particular day. There were traditions to be observed and new ones to be adapted, taking their deepening relationship into account. They missed their opportunity the summer before since both families had gone to Florida for two weeks.

That particular summer day had always been special to Kim. It stirred something deep inside her soul and for the first time she was going to share it with Ron. Well, for the first time they were going to share it holding on to one another instead of sitting a few feet apart. That day called for certain festivities and that night called for her to be out on the upper roof of her home, looking in the direction of downtown Middleton.

Now that wouldn't happen. They left the house just after sun-up to head for some place not too far from Mt. Middleton. There would be no back-yard cookouts. There would be no Space Center Versus Pickle Works softball game (with a ten-year winning streak on the line no less!) Worst of all, there would be no laying on the roof with Ron's arms wrapped around her while they watched the Independence Day fireworks display.

Tuesday was the Fourth of July.

Sunday afternoon the young couple was sitting in her room, their backs to her bed as they watched a DVD on her computer screen. Of course it would have been more comfortable to sit in the family room and watch it on the big-screen, but the two of them were reveling in being able to spend time in each other's rooms again and wanted a touch of privacy, though all they were doing was holding hands, doing some light kissing and talking. There was also the fact they were watching a slightly dirty R rated movie (number two of the aforementioned 'Pie' films) and even though they were the right age to see them, Kim's Dad had a knack for walking in the room right as something embarrassing was happening on the screen.

Even in their moderate privacy, Ron was looking at the screen through his fingers, his legs firmly crossed during the super-glue scene. This was perhaps the third time they had watched it and he did that every single time.

"Not hitting too close to home, is it Ronnie?" Kim teased.

He gave her the funniest look. "Say what?"

"Nothing." She grinned at him and wrapped her arms around his left one, gripping his hand.

"KP, you weren't planning anything extra-special for Tuesday, were you?"

"Well, I was planning on watching the fireworks, then maybe just driving off somewhere, just to be alone." She gave his hand a good squeeze and rubbed his upper arm with her free hand.

"I mean extra-extra special."

Kim blushed ever so slightly. "Oh. No, I wasn't planning on _that_. Why, were you?"

"Actually no. I just wanted to catch up on what we missed out on the last week. It's just, your Dad calling this camping trip out of the blue like that and denying all flaking opportunities. It's like all those times we tried before and something came up to interrupt us. I was thinking how special that holiday is to you and maybe, well…"

Kim shook her head. "Unless our string of bad luck…well, not bad luck but strange luck was starting to include making out time. No, I think if we were planning that something really bad, like Shego showing up and breaking Drakken out would happen."

"Don't even kid." Ron shuddered a little. The mint green hued villainess had been missing in action since the previous summer. He was actually slightly concerned for the woman. Shego may have been their enemy but given her lifestyle it was not beyond reason that some harm might have befallen her and that wasn't something he wanted happening to anybody. Yet, it was so unlike her to let her evil boss languish in a special federal holding facility while waiting for trial.

"Maybe it would almost be better if Drakken did break out. You know what's going to happen when the trial does get started, don't you?" Kim shivered herself.

He didn't have to answer that. At some point the two of them were going to be called to testify, even if it was just a perfunctory telling of how they came to capture him. Problem was, there were a lot of secrets they simply could not divulge and keeping those secrets under oath did not sit well with either of them. Global Justice did come up with a cover story for his capture, but that meant outright lying in court.

If he were to escape, they would simply go back to their endless dance of defeating him, capturing him and waiting for him to escape once more. That at least was honest work. Plus it would be good training for the twins, who were now official members of Team Possible (on condition they would only participate in the more dangerous missions when Kim was in the lead.)

The movie drew to it's close, though they weren't watching it any more by that point. Finally Ron sat back again, his arm around Kim's back. "You know what I like about these movies?"

Kim smiled. She knew what it was the first time they saw it. Of the three in the series, number two was the first they had rented. "Let me guess, the geeky Jewish boy ends up with the pretty redhead?"

"Yup," He gave her another light kiss. "and they get married in the third one."

"Are you implying something, Mister Stoppable?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'll just string you along for another month."

"Tease." She pulled him close and gave him a much longer, warmer kiss. "I never knew it would seem this long getting to our birthdays."

"Am I going to have to go the formal route, where I have to ask your Dad's permission and all?"

Kim sat back and thought for a moment. "I think that would be ferociously cool. We get everybody together for dinner, including your parents and you can ask Dad for my hand, then you get down on one knee and give me a ring." She stared at the ceiling, grinning happily.

"I'm just worried if I do that, somebody's going to say no."

"As if. Anyway, you still have to propose to me in private first. How about the first Friday after your birthday?"

"Aw, man, that means I've got to come up with money for a ring!"

Kim put her head on his chest. "Just a little one. We won't be able to do the fam thing until after your sister comes, so you'll have some time to save for a nicer one." She put her hand on his chest, rubbing it in circles. "It'll be our little secret, especially if we get to take our trip."

"Have you asked them about that again?"

Kim sat up a little and shook her head. "Not yet. I want to put this whole party thing behind us a little more before I bring it up again. I'm just so surprised Dad didn't just come out and say no way when he was angry."

"I know what you mean." Leaning toward her, he nuzzled her ear. "I'm just looking forward to the chance to spend some time alone with you. I mean really alone." He whispered. "Maybe let you see some things where you're not freaking about me watering the lilies."

"Maybe we could get a few more innings in as well." She whispered back, tilting her head so he could kiss her behind her ear.

"Did my KP just use a baseball thingy? Booyah!"

By Tuesday morning Kim thought she had gone through all the steps, from anger, through denial, finally reaching acceptance. At least family camping trips were usually fun. They were more about all of them being together and the evening always ended with some good marshmallow toasting, her Dad making s'mores and Kim roasting a leftover hot dog to coat with the melted, sugary confection. Her parents, the twins and even Ron all turned a little green when she did that, but she was not going to be denied her strange little treat.

Unfortunately, their ride into the hills included a trip through downtown, where food vendors and carnival rides were being set up in preparation for the day's festivities, capped off with the biggest fireworks display of the year, an even bigger blow-out than the show following Middleton Days. Kim loved fireworks and her tweak at missing them grew by leaps and bounds.

Not to mention she had a sudden craving for funnel cakes, be they fried food or not.

There was just something special about that day, something subtle she just couldn't put her finger on.

Things got worse when Ron recognized the road they were on. "Please, please tell me we're not going to Wannaweep?" He had his Kimmunicator out, frantically trying to call up a topographical map of the area. "Where's Wade? He's not answering!"

Kim calmly put a hand on his and turned the device off. "He's going out with his parents today. Since we're still officially off the roster, they insisted he get out of his room for a bit." She looked him in the eye for a few moments, prompting him to put it back into his pocket. At the first mention of that dreaded lake and camp, Rufus disappeared into his pocket and closed the flap.

"Dad, where are we going?"

James pulled out a dog-eared map and passed it back to them. "It's a place called Lake Gorchigreechie. It's just east of Mount Middleton. I hear the fishing there is spectacular."

"Sounds lovely." She said dryly, hunting for the place. Sure enough, it was just where he mentioned. The route had been highlighted, though it ended short of the lake itself. "See, Ron, we're clear on the other side of the mountain from Wannaweep."

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, though he seemed on edge until they turned off the old highway. There was a good reason the indicated route didn't go all the way to the lake. The narrow country road they were on just plain ended. There was no sign, no barricade…there wasn't even a parking lot, though a small field served that purpose. The only indication of any human activity beyond the pavement's end was a single red dot spray-painted onto a tree. There was a clear but narrow path starting there.

To Kim and Ron, this was nothing new. They had been in far more remote places dozens of times, with far less in the way of creature comforts. They quickly got their packs out and helped each other secure them, putting the bulk of the weight on their hips. They were dressed in a set of modified mission gear. Kim's Mom had taken some of their older clothes and turned the trousers into shorts and had cut off and hemmed the sleeves, making Ron's a short-sleeve and Kim's sleeveless. Despite the summer heat, both of them were wearing two layer of special socks under their hiking boots. That was an old camper's trick for reducing blisters. They each pulled a foot-long cylinder from their gear and gave it a twist. There was a snapping sound as they extended into lightweight walking sticks.

Even though they had brand new gear on, the rest of the Possibles looked a little less than comfortable. In the past, their notion of camping was to simply drive the mini-van up to a site and throw up a tent. It seemed that was the idea at first. They usually ended up in one of the family camping sites at Lake Middleton, complete with washrooms and electrical hook-ups and everything but the hotel room itself.

Apparently that somehow changed once Kim's Dad hit the camping store that Saturday. He came home announcing they would actually do some real backpacking, and he had the two-thousand some odd dollars worth of new equipment to prove it.

The young couple shared a knowing grin after the first half-mile, waiting while the others took a break. The elder Possibles looked like they had just run a marathon. Kim and Ron just leaned on their walking sticks, not quite willing to drop their packs for such a short breather.

About a mile and a half into their estimated three-mile trek, Anne leaned toward her husband. "Dear, where are the restrooms?"

Smiling, he whispered into her ear."

"Funny, James. Now really, where are they?"

"Hold on until we get to camp, Anne." He said, still grinning as he took point.

By the end of the hike, James, Anne and the twins looked like they were ready to collapse. Kim and Ron actually were quite refreshed. It was fun to leisurely hike through the woods without being in a hurry to rescue somebody or being pursued by evil henchmen. The hike itself proved to be worth it. The area was almost completely wilderness. There was a nice open field, bracketed by the trail and a small creek that flowed into the lake.

The lake itself looked like a carbon copy of the restored Lake Wannaweep, save for the lack of specialized camps dotting its shores. The view from the campsite was nothing short of breathtaking. The lake was crystal blue, bracketed by lush green woods, themselves framed by the surrounding mountains.

Kim and Ron made short work of setting up their portion of the camp. The tent was a slightly older model than the two new ones but it went up quickly in their capable hands. Following a rather extended break, the rest of them managed to set theirs up as well.

James broke out something Ron only thought was a legend, or at least an old joke of some sort; the Ronco Pocket Fisherman.

Kim took Ron's hand. "Dad, we're going to do a little exploring. We've both got our Kimmunicators if you need to reach us."

"Okay, Kimmie. Just keep an eye on the time. We'll be fixing dinner about six."

"Got it, Dad." She stopped at her pack, pulling a smaller day-pack out and stuffing their lunch and a small bundle from Ron's pack into it.

She led her boyfriend up the banks of the creek, away from the lake. They went about a mile before they came to what she had seen on the map.

The waterfall wasn't large by any means, but over time it had carved out a nice pool at its base. Several large rocks were arranged around it, making natural places for dangling your feet in the water. Immediately she sat down and started working on the laces of her boots. Following her lead, Ron did the same.

He put a hand on the small of her back as he dipped his feet into the surprisingly cold water. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he did little spider creepies with his fingers.

"That we need to get wet?" She smiled wickedly at him.

"Something like that." He returned her smile.

Kim just reached down to her waist and pulled her top up. Automatically, Ron turned away, covering his eyes.

"You don't have to do that, Honey. See, I'm wearing my bathing suit."

Hesitantly he peeked through his fingers. She was wearing a bathing suit, alright. It was the skimpy white one she wore to Lake Middleton that one time. Standing up, she shucked out of her shorts. "You were thinking of skinny-dipping, weren't you?"

"Um, yeah. The though did cross my mind." He blushed slightly. "Um, what about me?"

It was Kim's turn to blush. "Well, I've already seen the back half…"

"Kim!"

She reached into her day pack and handed him his trunks. "I'll turn around and promise to only peek a little."

Rolling his eyes, he turned his back to her and changed as quickly as possible. When he turned around she was looking right at him. "Hey, you promised not to peek!"

"So not the drama. Besides, you know what happens when this suit gets wet." She trilled sexily. Still smiling, she slipped into the pool, up to her waist. "Come on in, lover, the water's fine.

Biting his lower lip, Ron jumped into the pool, popping up almost instantly and wiping his hair over his forehead. "Wow, that's cold!"

Kim dunked her upper body in the water, slicking her own hair back.

Ron could only stare. "Very cold." He said with his goofiest grin.

* * *

They only spent a short time in the swimming hole. Badical views of Kim notwithstanding the cold water had a certain physiological effect on him that kept things just plain fun, not romantically fun. After a while they spent some time lying in the sun on one of the rocks, letting the hot July air warm their bodies and dry their clothes. After getting dressed (Ron kept his trunks on, planning some open lake swimming later) they ate their PBJ sandwiches and made their way back to camp.

Her Dad actually had a good time fishing, meaning the hot-dogs they packed would be supplemented with fresh trout. Ron was amazed the strange little rod actually worked. Thankfully, the fishing was done for the day, since he spent some time just floating around in the somewhat warmer water of the lake.

Every so often, Anne would come up to James and ask "Okay, I really need to know where the restroom is now."

As the campfire wound down, six happy campers leaned back on the logs they had placed around the fire pit and spent some good quality family time. Kim lay there, just her shoulder touching Ron, realizing she had forgotten about the noisy downtown carnival and the fireworks. This really was a good idea after all.

Looking at his watch, James got up. "Okay, if we want to be on time, we'd better get a move on."

Confused, the rest of his family followed. It was very nearly dark then, so they broke out a couple flashlights. Kim went the extra step of putting on her light intensifying glasses and Ron had his tactical light in his pocket, just in case.

Thirty minutes later, they found themselves on a open hilltop. There were a few clouds in the distance, but the rest of the sky was completely clear. Here away from the city lights the stars were extremely vivid.

James took a seat and pointed off into the distance. It took the rest of them a moment before they realized they were looking at downtown Middleton in the distance. Another moment later something streaked from the top of one of the buildings.

They weren't close enough to hear the blasts of the fireworks, but they could see them clearly. Smiling, Kim nestled into Ron's arms. Her Fourth of July was complete.

Anne snuggled up to her husband. "It's beautiful, James. Now, please tell me, where are the bathrooms?"

* * *

The fire was nothing but some glowing coals when they returned, but none of them really wanted to bother building it back up. In the morning they would pack everything up and head to a late breakfast on their way back home. That was the beauty of a fairly short hike like that.

Kim and Ron zipped their sleeping bags together, but the night air was just a shade too warm for them to cuddle inside it. Instead they just lay on top of it, holding each other and trying not to make too much noise kissing, considering her parent's tent was about twelve feet away. Even considering the shape they were in, the day had worn them out, so they dozed off fairly quickly after a judicious session of roamin' hands.

Unfortunately, those clouds didn't stay in the distance. It started out as a light shower but pretty soon it wasn't just a storm, it was 'Pair 'em up Noah, one more time!'

That quiet little stream running into the lake quickly became a raging torrent, soaking the back half of Kim's tent and the Twins'. Before long the only safe and dry place was her parents' tent.

They huddled in the dark for what seemed like an eternity, cold, wet and shivering. Six people were crammed into a tent made for three to four.

"I think there's something in here with us." Ron whispered frantically.

"Nonsense." James said. "The animals are more afraid of us than we are of them." Still, he reached up and lit the Coleman lamp.

Ron was right.

They never knew exactly what it was, but it had beady little eyes and it was covered with hair!

All six of them screamed at once (well, so did the little hairy critter too!) The spilled out of the tent into the rainy night…

…running headlong into a bear!

It had just finished off what was left of their food and was still hungry. It stood on its hind legs, roaring at the family.

Kim and Ron were in pretty good shape and could run very fast. Still, Kim's father managed to keep up with them as they raced down the trail toward the van.

Anne beat them all, running past them with a twin under each arm yelling "Never mind the restroom!"

* * *

a/n – With all due respect and admiration to Ray Stevens.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	14. Part XIV

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XIV – 15 Days and Counting for Kim, 20 for Ron**

* * *

Kim, Ron and James went back the next day, renting a pair of all-terrain vehicles with trailers to retrieve their equipment. Kim's Dad received a pretty good reaming from a Forestry Service ranger for not taking some simple precautions in bear territory and for running away from the animal. The current theory for surviving a bear attack was to curl up into a ball, covering your head (as opposed to the old wives tale about just playing dead.) The ranger ended up reluctantly giving them a special permit to take the vehicles down the trail, preferring to have the site cleaned over the potential trail damage they would cause. Kim and her Dad promised to drive very gently. It was the crazies ripping up and down the trails at top speed that did the real damage.

It turned out they got extremely lucky, as the bear was far more interested in getting to a far easier treat – a jumbo bag of Bueno-Nacho-To-Go Double-Cheese Tortilla chips.

Unfortunately, in the process the bear managed to rend Ron's backpack into so much nylon and aluminum scrap. In fact, that's pretty much the condition most of the campsite was in. They managed to salvage the sleeping bags, but they would need serious laundering and drying before they could be used again, even the special high-tech material Kim's and Ron's were made of.

The ATVs were a good choice. While they were able to pack everything in on their backs to begin with, it would have taken several trips to haul everything out by hand, not to mention the extra weight of all the water everything was soaking in.

Wade was back on line, using satellites to keep track of the large wildlife, just in case the bear was still around looking for another snack.

The kids spent the next couple days chilling at the city pool, nearly embalmed in waterproof sunscreen. It was just as well, since the really hot days of summer finally started rolling in, along with a touch of humidity (it never really got too bad there.) They would get to the pool fairly early in the day, spend a short while working on their tans (a lost cause where Ron was concerned – his freckles just got darker) before the very pleasant task of putting sunblock on each other. Ron complemented her often and well about her badical-licious tan, even though she was wearing a more modest bikini.

They had a bit of fun with some other kids playing a game on the deep end of the pool. Basically, one swimmer was it and could try to tag the others while crossing the pool. The trick was the swimmers could only be tagged if their head was above water. Kim volunteered to go first and wasted little time tagging Ron when he popped up for air. It was about that point everyone figured out the best way to keep from getting tagged was to hug the bottom, pretty much swimming under him while he flailed around. Kim would just dive in, kick off the wall and tag the opposite side.

Frustrated (but still having a blast at the same time) Ron simply dove in place, wrapped his arms around her waist as she passed and kicked off the bottom, hauling her to the surface. It wasn't long before the others lost interest as the couple proceeded taking turns tackling each other under water.

Saturday's date ended up getting scrubbed by a mission. They made up for it with some up-close and personal time cuddling and kissing on their way home. Breaking the rules just slightly, they pretended to doze off watching TV later that night. They awoke the next morning with a light blanket on them, without a word being said by either parent.

After church (Ron was going with them every week rather than languish at home) Ron challenged the twins to a round of video games, so they headed off to J P Bearymore's for most of the afternoon, leaving Kim home with her parents.

"This is certainly strange." James commented, spying Kim lounging on the couch flipping through a fashion magazine.

"What's that, Daddy?"

"It's a fine day outside and you're not spending every waking minute with Ronald." He sat down in the easy chair opposite his daughter.

Kim smiled warmly. "He's doing the guy-bonding thing with the Tweebs. I may love him, but there are some things I just can't take. Screaming ten-year-olds, burnt pizza and the noise of two dozen video game consoles I so don't want to deal with. He's having fun."

"Outstanding." He returned her smile, leaning forward just a little.

She raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's outstanding that he's not with me?"

"Honestly, Kimmie-cub, yes, but don't take it the wrong way. What's so good is that you are happy and he's doing something that makes him happy and it doesn't always have to be just with you."

"You make it sound like all we every do is together stuff."

James nodded and sat back again. "Well, for a while it seemed like you were doing just that, but I think that's just fine. Back when the two of you started dating it worried me for a while, especially since you have been together as friends for so long." His smile faded slightly. "I've been meaning to talk to you about, well, the two of you. It's been a very, very long time since we've had 'the talk.'"

Kim blushed slightly. "Dad, I think I've got a pretty good handle on that by now, don't you think?"

James pulled at the collar of his polo shirt slightly. "Yes, I'm sure you do…I'm sure you've got the gist of all the basics. That's not exactly what I'm getting at, though."

"Okay, then what? I know the birds and the bees and all that. Mom is a doctor."

"It's…I know that you have had a lot of responsibility shoved on you and you've handled it all magnificently. All that aside, Kimmie, even though you may feel like you are a grown woman, you are just seventeen."

"Almost eighteen." She corrected.

"Yes, and I'm an ancient at forty-five."

"Daddy!"

His warm smile returned. "I just hope you understand, when you get here, forty-five isn't going to seem all that old, and when you do, well, seventeen, even eighteen aren't going to seem as old and mature as you think they are right now."

"If this is about me and Ron, Daddy, I swear, I know we're not ready for that. We've talked about it…a lot. A whole lot."

"I know that, Kimmie. That's not what I'm getting at. Honey, I know you love Ronald very much…"

"Like all the world." She said resolutely.

He nodded thoughtfully. "I would have to be blind as a cave bat not to see that. It's just…sometimes I look at you two and all I see are two little kids playing house and I wonder if it's going to last."

Kim sat there and thought for a few minutes. "I think it will. In fact I know it will. Daddy, sometimes it feels like I'm not whole without him. Not right now, but those times when I got scared he might leave me because he had some bad notion that he wasn't good enough for me."

"I just hope that's true. Kimmie, I love Ronald like a son and if the two of you are meant to be together forever I'll be the happiest father in Colorado, but the fact remains, the two of you are still kids and no matter how special what you have now is, you need to be absolutely certain, and I mean you do, not me, not your Mom, but you have to be the one to know before you make things officially permanent." James sat up and reached for his daughter's hand, Twisting her ring so the emerald was straight up. "I know you are about to turn eighteen, but sometimes it's like you're fifteen going on thirty. Deep inside I know that before long Ronald will want to give you another kind of ring."

Kim blushed again, letting her Dad wrap his large fingers around her much smaller ones. "Dad, if Ron asks me to marry him, I'm going to say yes. This ring means just that."

James sat back up and wiped his eye slightly. "Ever since you were born, I've thought about the day that might happen. I actually never dreamed it would be Ron, especially over the last couple years before you two got together. In hindsight, I guess I just couldn't see it. Ronald wasn't a boy, he was just this person who was your closest friend for most of your life."

"Daddy, that's how I can know he's the one. He's my best friend, and even though he's my boyfriend now and yes, most likely my husband later…much later, he's still my best friend. Now I can't imagine ever loving anyone like that who isn't."

"That's what I want to hear." He wiped his eye again, but not before a tear did roll down his cheek. "I also wanted to apologize."

"What for?" she frowned, looking into her father's eyes.

"When I grounded the two of you, I said some things I really shouldn't have. I was angry and upset, though at the time I thought I was being fair and just. Instead I was just torn in two that I was losing you to Ron, and I said those things about the two of you acting like you were already husband and wife. That wasn't fair and it wasn't right. I'm the one…well, your mother and I, invited him into this home, knowing we would see much more of the affection you two have for each other. What I said was much more about how I feel than how you have been acting."

"Daddy, if our kissing makes you uncomfortable…"

"No, Kim. Well, it does, but that's because I wasn't seeing you for what you really are now. I was still seeing a little girl in her first cheerleading outfit, wearing braces and a ponytail. I just wasn't seeing that you were a nearly grown…and I mean just weeks away from being grown, woman who has feelings and desires that are normal and natural for a grown woman. Then too, now I look at Ronald and I see a grown man. I didn't notice that until the night he took you to the Prom, but I see him with you and I have to admit, I feel jealous, jealous that he's here to take you away from me and your mother."

"Daddy, just because I'm with Ron doesn't mean you are ever, ever going to lose me. Love isn't like that. It's not some finite emotion that I only have so much to spread between you and him. I love you and I love him. Loving him makes me more."

"I know, Kimmie-cub. That's why I'm apologizing to you. The way I was thinking, the way I was feeling was that you would have to choose between us, and in my selfish way I wanted you to choose me. Instead you're choosing both of us."

"Is this about me sleeping with Ron too?"

It was James' turn to blush. "Well, er, yes. It's just, when you say it out loud, it sounds like one thing, even though I know what you really mean. Even if it was that other thing…I was raised a certain way. You know what Nana is like. A father is supposed to protect his daughter's virtue. In reality, I'm really supposed to protect you from harm, and at your age, more often than not, that sort of thing can be harmful. If it's done out of just lust or curiosity, it can lead down all sorts of roads you just don't want to go. There's also another selfish part to it. When young girls act a certain way, it reflects poorly on the father, as if people think they didn't raise their daughters right. You used to worry about the 'food chain.' Well, there's the same thing where parents are concerned. We always worry about what other parents think about us. Imagine how I would feel if people thought of you like they think of that Bonnie girl."

"I don't think there are any worries there, Dad."

"Yes, and no. Remember what happened when we came back from Florida last summer?"

"That picture?"

"Yes." Several of the grocery store tabloids had run a grainy photo of Kim and Ron making out on the boardwalk. They tried to make hay about her 'girl-next-door' image, though it didn't stick and blew over in less time than it took to come up with photos of Brittina topless at a French beach. "No matter what you are really doing, somebody else can see it a different way. I haven't mentioned this, but I've had to correct a number of my acquaintances about the living arrangements in this house. I can accept you are a grown woman who is honestly in love with Ronald, but others see it as me allowing the two of you to live in sin under my roof. They see you as just a pair of teenagers fooling around constantly.

"I've decided, however, that you two are not living in sin and I don't care if I have to shout it from the top of Mount Middleton. Now, I still don't think it right or wise for the two of you to share a room together here until you're older…somewhat older, but I want the two of you to take your vacation together later this summer, with your mother's and my blessing."

Kim sat up bolt straight, grinning from ear to ear. "You mean it, Daddy? We can go?"

"I want you to go. I want you and Ronald to share what should be one of the best times of your lives together."

Kim shot out of her seat and wrapped her arms around her Dad. "Thank you, Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She kissed his cheek over and over. "I love you, Daddy!"

Kim sat back down and reached into the pocket of her cargo shorts. "I've got to tell Ron!"

James reached across and put out a restraining hand. "I think you'd better let him have his fun with Jim and Tim. He'll know soon enough when he gets home."

Kim barely heard him. She sprinted up the stairs to her room. There was Monique to call, and Tara and there was an itinerary to plan…

…and even if it wasn't right or wise, she spent that night curled up with Ron and nobody said otherwise.

* * *

Ron pulled up at his house, feeling a little bit ashamed. Getting the green light from Kim's parents the previous Saturday lifted a huge weight from his mind. Before it had been hanging there like an oppressive cloud, like a storm about to break on their special summer together, much like the storm that had ruined their camping trip a couple weeks earlier. Now all there was to do was enjoy the lazy warm days, go on the odd mission and make their plans.

There was a little bit of a running tiff about how the vacation was to proceed, but he wasn't going to let that build into a full-blown argument. One of the other of them would eventually get their way and as far as he was concerned, either would be just fine. It all boiled down to Kim wanting to plan every minute of their trip and him just wanting to point the car some random direction and just go until they decided to stop.

His guilty feeling concerned his family. The previous Saturday he went to Temple with his Dad and spent a little bit with his Mom, but over the whole week he never managed to get back over there. Ron knew he was about to get the clichéd 'Jewish Mother Guilt Trip' with both barrels.

Instead, all she did was hold him close to her for many minutes. She was healthy and so was her unborn child, but being cooped up in the house was starting to get to her. Normally a very svelte woman, Jean Stoppable had gained probably sixty pounds because of her inactivity. Ron sat on her bed for a couple hours just talking to her and telling her about what was going on in his life. She was absolutely thrilled about the planned trip, much to his surprise. For the longest time she had taken a very old-fashioned view of their relationship, even after basically accepting Kim as an "Honorary Nice Jewish Girl."

Not long before he got ready to go home to his other 'family,' Ron stopped at his Dad's home office. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door.

"Come on in, Ron." His Dad actually sounded upbeat, a good sign considering his work.

"Dad, I was wondering if I could get your help with something?"

"Sit down, Son. Let me guess," He took off his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief. "We're fast approaching the end of July and that means Kimberly's birthday is just around the corner. Now, I did tell you, when you gave back that interest money I let you have out of your trust fund, we weren't just going to keep pulling it back out every time you want to do something special for her and things are slim."

Ron chuckled slightly. "No, that's not it, Dad. I've already got her birthday present. I got her brothers to help me with that. Like Kim says, No big."

"Then what is it?"

"Dad, I do want to do something special for Kim, something a whole lot bigger than just her birthday."

Gene just raised his eyebrows, telling his son to go on.

"We're both going to be eighteen in a few weeks, and I know it seems like we're kinda young, but…" He stopped, biting his lip and looking at the floor. "I'm going to propose to Kim, right after my birthday."

The elder Stoppable sat there at his desk a few minutes, just looking at his current only child.

Sensing he said something wrong, he quickly went on. "I…we don't plan to go through with it until we've finished college, so it's going to be a nice, long engagement thing, so it's not like we're rushing anything. I just want to make what we have real. I mean…it is real, I just want to make it official and all."

Gene suddenly broke out into a wide grin. "Ronald, you don't know how happy this makes me. I can't think of anyone in the whole world better for you than Kimberly, but if you've got this all decided and planned out, what do you need my help with? You already have my blessing, even if you were going ahead with it."

"Well, Dad, remember when you helped me with my Prom? Even though it got ripped up real bad, that tux was extra-badical. I mean, it was like the most perfect thing and I wouldn't have been able to come up with that if you hadn't taken me to Mister Horowitz. I want you to come with me to help me find her a ring. I don't need money, I've got about five hundred set aside for it, though I know that's going to make things on our trip a little dicey, but I think it'll be worth it."

Gene pulled his glasses off again, sitting there just looking at his boy. "You want me to help…Son, yes, of course! When would you like to go?"

"Some time next week. Kim and I are going out after dinner tonight, but I want to find one as soon as I can. I'm going to propose the Friday after my birthday."

"Have you told your mother?"

"Yes. She likes the idea too, though I think she's wanting us to get married sooner than later."

His Dad laughed. "She just wants Catherine Jean to have a nephew or niece she can play with, but that's all good, Son. After college is probably the best time. Tell you what, keep your schedule clear next Tuesday and we'll go to that same fellow we bought that last ring from."

"Sure, Dad, that'll be great! Kim loved that ring, she won't even take it off, even for missions now!"

Ron left, closing the door behind him, seemingly walking on a cloud.

Gene smiled, then opened his laptop, connecting to the internet. Ron had turned completely around from the days when he managed to lose almost one hundred million dollars. If he could save enough out of his stipend to set aside five hundred while still having enough money for a two week trip, then he was well along the way to being able to manage a little more. That trip might change his life, so a little boost was only going to help things along.

Smiling, he called up Ron's checking account and clicked on Tranfer.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	15. Part XV

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XV – 14 days to 18 for Kim, 21 for Ron, 28 to Vacation!**

* * *

Kim realized one of the drawbacks of living in the same house as her boyfriend. Sure, it was nice that she could get a hug or a kiss from him almost any time she liked. It was also nice that even if they returned from their dates at a reasonable hour (as in before one in the morning) they didn't have to part with a kiss under the watchful glare of her Dad. In fact, her parents were rarely still up when they came home, even if it was before_ Letterman_ came on.

No, the drawback was that her boyfriend was usually sitting on her bed while she stood at her closet wrapped in a towel or a bathrobe picking out what clothes to wear. Gone was the chance to make his eyes pop out of his head when she appeared at the top of the stairs. Instead he was sitting right where Monique used to sit, giving his approval of certain articles of clothing as she presented them.

A sneaky little thought crossed her mind. His eyes would still pop out of his head if, say, her towel were to suddenly slip loose and fall to the floor. Almost as quickly as the thought came, she discarded it. Two things were bound to happen. One, Ron would automatically turn his head and cover up his eyes. That's one of the reasons she was always comfortable changing in front of him. Even if she was behind her changing screen he would turn around. When the time finally came for him to see her in her all-together, he would likely turn his head once again, just out of habit.

The other thing that was bound to happen would be her father coming right into her room at the worst possible moment, such as her trying to force Ron to look at her.

Making a couple semi-random selections, she stepped behind the screen and did let the towel drop. Even though it was opaque and from his vantage point Ron could see her only from her eyes up he still turned and covered. She stood there for a moment just looking at him, wishing he would actually look her way, trying to sneak a peek. Kim knew he wanted to. When they were alone, away from the rest of their families, he often did find a way to catch a glimpse of her body, such as turning away but watching her reflection in a window. Only then she was in underwear and both times her undergarments had been less revealing than most of her bikinis.

Shaking her head, she gave up on the notion. Her Dad apparently had a sixth sense for such things and no matter how cool he was with the progress of their relationship, there were still things that would set him off and her posing naked for Ron was most certainly one of them. She could be patient. In twenty eight days…four interminably long days they would be out on their own. No chaperones, no nosy pilots, no teachers or principals, just the two of them alone in a motel room, free to do whatever they felt right doing.

One thing she certainly planned on doing was, no matter what else they did, Ron was finally going to see her naked. No wet white bathing suit, no semi-transparent underwear, no clingy silk camisole. It was just going to be her and hopefully, she would finally see all of him with her own eyes. She only pretended to peek at him at the swimming hole and her grand view of his backside was just too embarrassing to fully enjoy. The only time she had seen him fully unclothed was when her mind was in his body and she/he was forced to take a shower. Almost against her will she stopped in front of the bathroom mirror and took a look. Besides the obvious she noticed some things for the very first time that day.

Ron was kind of cute.

Then he was only fifteen and it was well before his final (?) growth spurt. Now he was on the verge of eighteen and a finally becoming a man. Her desire for him was honest and real and part of that was wanting to see him…just him.

It was a hot afternoon and promised to be a sultry night, so she was dressing lightly. Her dark red mini-skirt looked almost new. For some reason she almost never wore it, favoring capris and slacks most of the time and knee length shorts during the hot months. The skirt was definitely not a micro-mini and was really just as modest as her shorts. Maybe it was simply the fact it didn't have a pocket big enough for her Kimmunicator. Then again, except for her penchant for showing off her tummy, she was a very modest girl.

Her black, half-transparent cami top was most def not so modest. She almost felt like she would have to sneak past her father wearing it.

Ron had a sense for how long it took for her to get decent and by the time she looked back up at him he was playing some kind of game on his Kimmunicator. Kim rolled her eyes. Ron may have matured something like five to ten years almost over night, but he was still essentially Ron. He would likely still be playing video games with their grand-kids.

Grand-kids. That thought alone made her close her eyes and smile softly. It almost made her want to sit down beside him on the bed and tell him about the dream she had the night before. It wasn't one of the sexy fantasy dreams she had from time to time. Instead, they were sitting in his treehouse, dressed like they were at their first Prom, eating dinner by candlelight…

…and she proposed to him!

Kim was always in charge of almost every aspect of their life together. She was the one who made the decision to chose Ron. She was the one who ordered him to that Prom. She was the one who instigated most of their make-outs. It was very likely she would be the one who made the first move when they were finally really ready.

However, if she had anything to say about the matter, it was Ron who was going to propose to her. They may be young, they may have no real job between them. They didn't even have any real prospects for a home yet, but she knew they were ready for that particular step.

Kim was quite intelligent indeed and was very well read. Kids who got married at their age were at a far greater risk of divorce, or at the very least would have a very hard go of things at the start. To that end, she knew it really wasn't wise to actually get married until they did have a career and a place to call there own, Ron's apparently impressive trust fund notwithstanding. So she was ready to upgrade from girlfriend to fiancé, but she was not ready to walk down the aisle with him. Not just yet.

That didn't keep her from wistfully dreaming of wearing a long white gown, or seeing Ron in another tux. When she was alone, she was even studying Jewish wedding ceremonies, wondering exactly how it would proceed since she was raised Christian and in all honesty, didn't think she would convert. She loved Ron and she deeply respected his religion. She even considered Rabbi Katz a close friend and even loved him as well, but while she was called to love her boyfriend, to the point she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and raise a family with him, she was not called in that way. She was content to remain what Ron's Mom called her; an "Honorary Nice Jewish Girl."

She sat down beside Ron and put her chin on his shoulder, watching the video game he was playing on the tiny screen. She almost giggled when she realized it was a crude graphical representation of his garage, with boxes tumbling down from the top. Apparently Wade had been playing with the code of a classic game originally played on the Z-boy handheld. For someone who was naturally a bit on the clumsy side, Ron was certainly very deft with his fingers.

That thought made her smile all that much more. She knew what he could do with those fingers on her shoulders and back. Ron had a magic all his own when it came to touching her.

The boxes were falling faster than her eyes could follow. He was at the top of his game, making the boxes disappear as fast as they could stack up. If only he could really do that with his parent's garage in real life. Still, she was ready for him to pay her some attention, not the little game and its incessant, vaguely Russian music. She clasped her hands around his stomach and started nibbling on his ear.

That was just enough to break his concentration. Almost immediately the boxes stacked up, clear to the top, ending the game.

"Aw, man, I almost broke my high score." He whined, closing his eyes to enjoy what Kim was doing.

"You like to score, don't you?" She whispered in his ear, letting her hands creep ever so slowly downward.

"KP, what if your Dad walks in? Can't this wait until we go out?"

"Aw, man." She mimicked his whine. "I was thinking, maybe we could just stay in tonight. The rest of the fam is going out for dinner, we could have some private time just for us." She kissed his neck, sucking slightly on it, though not hard enough to leave a mark. Her hands reached the top of his pants and she slipped a single finger into the band, stroking the light fuzz on his lower belly.

"I thought you wanted to see Bricks of Fury Ivy? It's got forty percent more bricks." He pleaded.

"Ivy? Ron, that's the Roman numeral…"

"Four, I know. Just playin' ya. I just had some special stuff planned for tonight."

Kim sat up slightly, though she kept her hands firmly around his middle. "You know, eating out and going to movies, that costs money, and we need to be saving everything we can for our trip next month. Besides, the only reason I wanted to see that particular movie is because I don't care what's going on up on the screen. That's not what I was going to be paying attention to in a dark, almost empty theater, in the back row." She reached up and gripped his chest, putting her cheek on his shoulder. "All that we could do right downstairs in the family room, watching the big screen without worrying about an usher breaking us up."

Ron shoved his Kimmunicator into his shorts pocket. His only concession to Saturday being 'dress up' date night was a nice short sleeve dress shirt which he hadn't yet tucked into his tan cargo shorts. "I had another idea about some serious lip-smacking time, but it involves us actually making it out of the house. Come on, KP, it's a badical nice night out."

"Okay, you win, loverboy. So what do you have in mind?"

"You'll see." He turned in her arms and looked into her eyes.

"Notice anything?" She grinned at him.

"Uh, it's hard to notice anything except that top you've got on." He put both hands on her hips, his eyes drifting downwards to the opaque part of the camisole. It was trimmed in delicate black lace and looked more like something she would wear to bed instead of out on a date. It was the current style and it really didn't reveal anything, but the hints, oh the hints.

"I haven't put on my makeup yet." She whispered, pulling him closer.

"Booyah." He whispered back just before their lips met.

It was easy for Kim to forget there was a total of six people currently in the house as they kissed. It would be so easy to relax her back and pull the two of them down on the bed and do exactly what she wanted to do; just spend the evening doing exactly what they were doing at that moment, but she was intrigued by what Ron had planned. Finally, it was him that broke the kiss.

"You know, Kim, you really don't have to put on makeup. It's not going to kill you for the rest of the world to know you have some faint freckles. Plus, it's gonna get messed up anyway."

She touched his nose. "You're sweet, but as cute as freckles are on you, I do have an image to maintain."

"They're cute on you too. Come on, let's just go out as we are. Put on some sandals and just some plain lip gloss. You're extra badical beautiful with your little sun-spots. It's not like you've got a little pimple you think is a mountain-sized zit to cover up."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"You'll have to hit me with Drakken's truth ray to make me tell."

"Humph. Might just go on down to GJ and get it just to make you tell me what you're getting me for my birthday."

"You do that, and I'll zap you at the dinner table and ask you what kind of underwear you had on at the prom, right in front of your Dad."

She gave him one more quick kiss. "Somebody sounds like he needs a little shot of the Attitudinator set in reverse. I think I detect a little 'Bad boy' there."

"I is what I is." He said, standing up and pulling her up with him by her hands. He let go of her and started tucking in his shirt.

Kim sat back down and slipped on a pair of black sports sandals, noting Ron was wearing simple flip-flops. Dress-up night was turning into summer casual, though she didn't mind. She did skip the greater part of her makeup routine, just putting on clear lip gloss just as he suggested and a quick shot of lavender scented body spray. She smiled softly as the scent wafted toward him, knowing he would be having second thoughts about going out once he smelled it. The mixture of that, the soap she used and her natural scent always drove him wild. That was part of why she knew he was meant for her. As much as they seemed to be soul-mates there was also a natural chemical attraction between them. They were compatible on every level.

Once they went outside, Kim was a little confused when Ron simply got into her car and backed it out to the curb. He got out and unlocked his little car. "We're going out in that?"

"To start out with." He opened her door and held it for her. Confused, she got in and let him close the door. It took a bit, but the engine finally turned over. The old compact was finally starting to show its age, getting slightly less reliable than it was before. The oil leak was getting worse and the clutch, even at just six months old, was starting to wear. That particular car had a reputation for eating clutches.

Kim wondered how long the little Chevette would actually last. It only cost him three hundred dollars and at the time it was the only thing he could even hope to afford. It was cramped, and since it was a rear wheel drive type, it had a huge hump down the middle, with a gear shirt and parking brake between them. He car had bucket seats too, but it was far more comfortable inside, making her wonder exactly why he was choosing it over her modified PT Cruiser.

Still, she fell into her old habit of running the stick shift while he drove. They started doing that when his wrist was broken, making it easier to handle the manual transmission.

Only minutes later they were pulling up in front of his house. Instead of parking in the driveway like he normally did, he pulled up to the curb and killed the engine.

"We're not eating with your folks, are we? I thought your Mom was pretty much bed-ridden."

"No, I was planning on going to Muddrakker's, just to keep things on the inexpensive side. Just wanted to pick up some proper date-night wheels. Got your keys?"

Kim reached into her purse, smiling since she finally realized what he was up to. He got out and she shifted into the driver's seat. She could do anything, but she never really had terribly much practice with the quirky clutch of the old hatchback. Parking it, she could manage.

He smile got wider as the familiar sound of the even older Pontiac fired up. It was a big, old, ugly car that drank down gas like there was no tomorrow. It had a V8 engine, but was sorely underpowered for such a heavy vehicle. At least it had gotten a simple paint job, covering up the rust spots. The car did have one redeeming feature.

It had wide, comfortable bench seats, front and back. Many, many of their dates had been in the old Catalina, most of them spent parked out at the bluff at the end of Logging Camp Road. It was the perfect make-out car.

Kim pulled his little Chevy into its spot once he backed out.

Dinner was simple, just burgers and fries, followed by the movie, which she actually watched. The newer theater near the interstate had the large, comfortable 'stadium' style seats, so they had a good view of the screen. Ron was into the movie, so she contented herself just to sit there holding hands with him, sneaking a kiss during the boring scenes, of which there were few in the action/adventure flick.

Finally, they got to the part she was looking forward to most. Oddly enough, there were only half as many cars as she expected at the bluff, which was fine with her. The night was turning cloudy and by the time they found a nice, secluded parking space, the rain started falling. Before long it was coming down hard enough the water pouring off the windows formed a sort of curtain, though, by the unwritten rules of the bluff, nobody would pay them any attention.

She wasted no time clambering into the back seat as he set the parking brake. There was room in the front with the steering wheel tilted up, but she preferred the extra space in the back. Ron was close behind her.

Stretching out the length of the seat she pulled him down on top of her, using her feet to slip the straps of her sandals off. He just let his flip-flops fall from his feet. She rubbed her calf up against his, feeling the sparse, stiff hair there. Her own legs were smooth and supple since they were freshly shaved.

They kissed for a long time, their arms wrapped around each other, feeling perfectly alone as the storm raged outside. Before long even the sound of the rain on the metal roof of the car disappeared. They could only hear each other as they whispered sweet nothings to one another.

Ron sat up slightly, running his hands over her bare belly, then down her sides. Reaching around with both hands, she cupped his backside, squeezing his firm muscles.

"I wonder if this is what your Mom had in mind when she insisted you take this car on our first date?" She whispered as he kissed her neck.

"I think she was thinking it was big and safe, considering how bad my driving was."

Kim slipped a hand into the back of his shorts. He responded by kissing further and further down her front, right to the edge of her top.

"Hey, let's save something for later, k?" She breathed, enjoying his touch.

He sat up again and lightly brushed his hands across her front, momentarily cupping her with one. "Baseball stuff again."

"Yeah, something like that. The preview is fine, though." With her free hand she guided him back were he was moments before. She shuddered slightly, feeling warm inside. "This is so nice. Really good idea you had, baby."

"I thought you'd like it." He wrapped his arms around her back again, pressing his body down on her as her kissed her again. Her free hand joined the other as thoughts of doing so much more than merely making out filled her head. Pulling her hands free, she sat up, making Ron sit back. She sat on his lap, sinking down with her back to his chest. He held her close, enjoying the closeness.

After a while, she guided his hands upwards again and he didn't resist. "When we're older, when we're, you know, more experienced, I hope your Mom still has this car and lets us borrow it."

"Nice." He whispered, nuzzling into her hair, breathing the fresh, fruity smell of her recently shampooed mane.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'Booyah?'"

"That too." He turned her head slightly so he could lean forward and kiss her. She wrapped an arm up around his head, holding him there as she gave in to it.

"I was thinking, Ronnie."

"Bout what?" He put both hands on her shoulders and started gently kneading.

It took a few minutes for her to answer. He was so ferociously good at that. "I think I like your idea for our trip better. Forget the plans, let's just go. You can drive and wherever we end up, that's fine. Just so long as the rooms don't resemble Professor Acari's lab."

"Yuck." He may have gotten over a lot of his fears, but the sight of hundreds of insects crawling around still gave him the spilly willies. At least his insect friends wouldn't bite. The same couldn't be said for what they might find in one of the less savory motor courts dotting the landscape.

"All we really need is a nice clean room, a TV that gets cable and maybe a pool." He said, letting his hands drift around front again.

_He's really getting used to that_, she thought, though she wasn't about to complain. She closed her eyes and snuggled down into his warmth. It would be so easy to get that experience she was talking about that night, but like she said earlier, some things needed to be saved for later. Things were too nice at that moment anyway.

"One thing I do want to do, though. Before we run out of money, I want to spend the night in one really nice place, at least once. Doesn't have to be super-expensive, just something like that room we stayed in on Prom Night."

He let his hands drift lower, pulling up the transparent part of her top so he could put his hand on her bare upper belly. "You know that room was a honeymoon suite, don't you?"

"Yeah. But that bed was sooooo, soft."

Kim sat up again and turned to look at Ron. It was dark enough they could barely see each other, though the rain had let up considerably. "Ronnie, while we're away…do you think that, maybe, the time will be right…for us?"

He pulled her close again, just holding her against him. "No plans, KP. If it's right, it's right, but no plans."

Ron was glad it was too dark to see his slightly worried expression.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	16. Part XVI

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XVII - 8 days to 18 for Kim, 15 for Ron, 22 to Vacation!**

* * *

Ron had been having a nice dream. He couldn't remember what it was about once he was dragged kicking and screaming into the waking world, only that it had been something that made him happy. That he had lost his conscious recollection of it simply made matters worse.

The whole injustice of the sitch clicked into place surprisingly fast in his sluggish, sleep addled mind. It was not Saturday, and therefore he did not have to get up for Temple. It was not Sunday, meaning he did not have to get up for Kim's church. It was also summer, meaning he did not have to get up for school. On top of all that, he didn't have a real job, so there was no specific responsibility involved there either. Add to all of that the fact he had gotten in quite late from a mission that, after the fact, was really nothing but an utter waste of both Kim's and his time, there was literally no reason he should not have been allowed to sleep, at least for another hour.

The first thing he saw as the cheery feminine voice called his name, yanking open the blinds, letting the brilliant sunlight into the room and otherwise disturbing a pleasant rest, was Rufus sitting on his pillow, blinking back sleep as well. The little guy looked as cross as Ron felt at that moment.

Not wanting to turn his head to see the clock on his nightstand, he pulled one arm from under his pillow. Either he was even more tired than he thought or his stigmatism was getting worse, because it was quite hard for him to focus on his watch. Considering the strongest thing he had to drink the night before was Gatorade, there was no possibility of a hangover. Then again, since he had never been drunk, that sensation was something he had yet to experience.

"Kim, are you aware it is seven o'clock in the morning?" He squinted at his watch again, hoping he was reading it right.

"Of course it is, Ronnie. Come on, we're burning daylight."

He finally rolled over, squinting at the bright light streaming through the window. His room had an eastern exposure, so the morning sun was hitting him full force. Unfortunately, that did little to awaken him further. Nor did the sight of Kim.

Normally the vision of her in a bright pink sports bra and matching running shorts would have at least his eyes wide open and his heart racing. Instead, the only thing he saw was an overly chipper drill instructor doing a female equivalent of banging on a trash can in a boot camp barracks. She wasn't dressed like that for him to ogle, she was ready to work out.

The choice between working out with Kim at seven in the morning after four hours of sleep or closing those blinds and pulling the covers and at least two of his pillows over his head was a pretty easy one.

He skipped the part about closing the blinds, electing to stay in the comfortable bed. He barely got the covers over his head before Kim started pulling them off him. Not just off his head, but clear down to the foot of the bed. "Come on, I've got a five mile run mapped out for us, we can get it in before breakfast."

_Five miles?_

Growling, he reached down and managed to snag just the sheet, pulling it back over his tank top and boxers clad body.

"Ron, don't be a baby. You agreed you were going to work out with me this summer. Now come on."

"No, you go run five miles, Kim. I'm going to get a couple more hours of sleep before I have to get up and do the chores your Dad left for me." Grabbing one of the pillows, he covered up his head, trying to block out the brightness permeating every inch of the room.

"Up, Ron, I'm not kidding. It's nice and pleasant outside and you're not going to waste it sleeping."

"No!" he said, a little more forcefully than he really meant to.

"Get up." There was an angry edge to her voice.

He sat up, throwing the pillow on the floor. "I said no! I've gotten maybe three or four hours of sleep this morning and I don't feel like getting up and running any, let alone five miles so just go on your run and leave me alone." He crashed back down on his remaining pillows, too upset by that point to actually fall back to sleep.

"Fine." She said coldly, all traces of her buoyant attitude gone. "Be a lazy slug, see if I care." She slammed the door on her way out, regardless of the fact it hadn't been shut all night.

_Lovely._

Ron turned his legs toward the floor and let the blinds down again. There was no way in the world he was falling back to sleep now, so he just gathered up the dirty clothes he took off the night before and threw them on the bed, muttering to himself using words he used to hear his grandfather, Pap Rokowski, use when he was angry. He had no idea what most of them meant, since he really didn't know any Polish or Yiddish, but he had a pretty good idea about the feeling behind them. It certainly beat cursing in English, just in case either of Kim's parents decided to appear, investigating why Kim would storm out, slamming the door. That was one of the big no-nos in the Possible abode, even if that particular part of the house was made of cast concrete.

* * *

Kim grabbed a glass and filled it with water, drinking it down quickly in preparation for her run. Leaning against the kitchen counter she watched as the guest room door opened. "So you've decided to go anyway?" She called hopefully.

Ron was dressed in day-old shorts and the tank shirt he was sleeping in. "No, I'm going to get a shower." He snapped as he disappeared into the downstairs bathroom.

Kim's Mom looked up from her coffee. She was already dressed in her white lab-coat and would be leaving for the Medical Center within minutes. "Trouble, Kimmie?"

She was already on a second glass of water. "Ron's being a jerk this morning."

About that moment he emerged from the bathroom, heading back to his temporary home.

"Come on, Ron, you promised you'd do this with me." She called.

He turned and half-looked at her. "I seem to remember somebody telling me they'd open up a can of biscuit whup on me if I woke them up early when they didn't have to be." He said before turning his back on her and heading into his room.

"God, he acts like it's his time of the month." Kim griped to no one in particular, putting the glass in the sink."

James lowered his paper and shared a look with his wife. "Honeymoon's over?" He whispered across the table. He turned toward his daughter and spoke a little louder. "You know, some researchers think that men might just have a periodic hormonal cycle just like women."

Anne rolled her eyes. "That's just junk science, dear. It has more to do with men learning to act like women, since we're the ones who have real physiological symptoms related to that."

"Really? I guess you would be the one to know." He grinned at her before returning to the paper. Spats between Kim and Ron were nothing new, though they had been rarer over the last fourteen months and virtually non-existent while the young man was their guest.

"Kimmie, the two of you did get in awfully late last night. Maybe he does deserve at least one day to sleep in."

"Mom, we both need exercise and he knows it. We can just leave him home Sunday and let him sleep then."

Anne poured some more cream in her cup. "Well, you do know what's best for him, even if he doesn't."

Kim glared at her mother until Ron came out of his room, carrying fresh clothes to the bathroom.

"Ron. Let's at least go out and do a mile together."

He stopped, holding the door knob. "I did enough running last night, thank you very much. If I want some exercise, I'll go over to the pool and do some swimming."

"Ron, when you're at the pool all you do is marinate in a lounge chair or float in the shallow end. That's not exercise, that's laziness."

"Well I'm simpatico with lazy." He opened the door and went in. Moments later Kim could hear the water starting.

"Fine, turn into a big fat slob. See if I care." She said quietly in his direction. Unwrapping a cord from her Kimmunicator, she strapped the device to her upper arm and put the white headphones in her ears. With a final check of her running shoe laces, she let herself out the back door and headed off on her run.

* * *

_This is what you're signing up for the rest of your life, you know that don't you, Stoppable? It's all good and fine when she wants to sleep in and be all cuddled up. That's when it's on her terms, not mine._

He stepped into the steaming stream of water and soaked his head really well.

_Get a hair cut. Shave off those whiskers, you're not growing a goatee. Let's get up at the crack of dawn and run for no good reason. I know what's best for you, Ronnie!_

He kept muttering to himself as he lathered up his hair. Two weeks and he would be eighteen. Two weeks and he was at the doorway to adult freedom, yet here he was about to trade in the authoritarian rule of not one, but two sets of parents for another, even more bossy kind of rule.

Picking up his disposable razor he had most of his face shaved when he realized he should have done that in the mirror, starting a little soul-patch or even a full Vandyke. After all, it was his face, wasn't it? Muttering again, he finished, promising himself he would start one the next morning before rinsing out the shampoo. Grabbing the bottle, he went for the 'repeat' step mentioned on the instructions.

_Lather, rinse and OBEY._ Who needed _Dr. D's Brainwashing Shampoo and Cranium_ _Rinse_ when you had Sergeant Kim giving the orders? With an ironic chuckle, he checked to make sure she hadn't actually refilled his Smarty Mart brand bottle with some of that pinkish purple stuff.

Turning the water off, he stepped out and quickly toweled off. He was a tad hungry. Maybe it would be a good idea to walk (not run) over to his house and get his car and drive over to Bueno Nacho for some breakfast Nacos – extra cheese. Make that double extra-cheese with a tub of queso dip on the side. With deep-fried cinnamon crisps too – and a nice, big Grande-sized cola to wash it all down. Lot's of good old-fashioned fat, cholesterol, high-fructose corn syrup and a hefty dose of caffeine to help him jump-start his day since he wasn't allowed to get the eight hours of sleep he was supposed to get.

Maybe while he was there he could do a little innocent flirting with the new girl working the morning shift there. What was her name? Christie something?

No, that was just evil thinking. Best bet was to boot up his computer and sit playing Fortress for hours, or at least until Mr. Dr. P showed up and handed out the chores for the day. At least their rule over him was something he had accepted, at least for the time being.

Then again, maybe even that wouldn't happen. If he lingered in the bathroom long enough the two elder Possibles would be on their way to work. Then he would have the house to himself, at least until the 'drill sergeant' came in from her ill-conceived run.

* * *

Kim was still fuming as she jogged past the mall. What on Earth had happened? Only some six hours ago they had been holding hands and smiling at each other as they rode back from their mission. Sure, they only had half a night's sleep, but staying in bed late wasn't the answer. Lost sleep was just that, it couldn't be regained by lingering in bed. Better to get out and get the blood moving. Soon enough they would both have to be getting up at a regular hour so they could get to classes. If they let themselves get used to sleeping late all the time it was going to make it all that much harder when it was necessary to get up. That in turn would make the first weeks of what was bound to be the hardest school work either of them had ever done all that much worse.

As she made her turn where Bundy's dance club used to be she lessened her pace just a bit. Anger had been making her run faster than she should have the first couple miles and she would have to save up for the last if she was going to complete her planned run.

Normally by this point she would have been feeling great. The endorphins produced by exercise always gave her a nice, glowing feeling inside, coupled with the satisfaction that she was in top physical form for her age, and she hadn't even reached her prime yet.

Her Kimmunicator was playing random tracks from her personal collection. Considering she never was one for much in the way of music, the library was relatively small. Not surprisingly, one song in particular tended to come up quite often.

She found herself singing along with _Could It Be_, despite herself. As the track ended she hit the repeat button almost automatically.

Normally the song brought her a great deal of joy. That morning all it was doing was making her feel worse. A couple tears got lost in the sweat flowing freely from her scalp. She didn't want to fight with Ron, she wanted to be with him. Maybe this one day she should have backed off. Maybe she should have asked him if he wanted to do this the night before instead of simply dumping it in his lap first thing in the morning.

Ron's words about her own feelings about sleeping in when she wanted to hurt. They didn't hurt because he had flung them at her as a weapon, they hurt because he was right. She was being a hypocrite. He was tired and he was cranky and as much as the run would have done to alleviate that, he just didn't want to do it. Who was she to force him to do something he didn't want to? How would she have felt if he was the one waking her up?

The track ended, switching to a dance track with a pounding beat. She found herself picking up the pace once more. The open paths of Middleton Park lay before her as she left the business district behind, jogging out into the open in the large, peaceful park. At least the setting made her feel a little better.

Loud as her music was, she didn't hear the helicopters until it was too late. In fact it was the shadow that first tipped her off to the fast-moving aircraft.

There were three of them. They were the latest military model, something that looked like a cross between a stealth fighter and the older Apache choppers. The bodies were all smooth planes and sharp angles, with the tail rotor encased in a radar foiling shroud. Huge blades beat steadily, though they didn't make as much sound as most of the older combat-grade models.

Only these were not painted the muted shades of green and brown favored by the Army and Marines. Instead they were painted a shade of red somewhere between magenta and pink, trimmed in gleaming white.

The first one dropped right in front of her, hovering barely off the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the other two, flanking her and cutting off any kind of retreat. Gatling cannons were trained on her. There was no question she was their target.

Cutting to the side at a dead run she tried escaping them. She was caught out in the open and thankfully there were no other pedestrians in that part of the park that early in the morning. In her mind's eye she could see the cannons tracking her as she tried to flee.

Over the music blaring in her ears she could hear one of them fire something. It wasn't the deadly staccato of the multi-barreled machine guns, but more along the lines of a shotgun blast. Her body was enveloped suddenly and she went down, tangled in a weighted net.

Moments later, as she struggled fruitlessly, a tall man wearing a hooded suit the same color as the choppers walked up to her. First he ripped the Kimmunicator off her arm, throwing it into the bushes. Then he hit her shoulder with something she couldn't quite see.

As the world turned black, she could see the letter 'A' emblazoned in the white center of his suit.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	17. Part XVII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XVII**

* * *

When Ron finally emerged from his bathroom the house was completely empty. The twins he pretty much figured were already off on some adventure or at least raising blood pressures with the management of Burger Prince, their hangout of choice. If they had still been home they would have been banging on the bathroom door by then. It didn't matter if they were still sound asleep when he went in there, they would be demanding their respective turns the moment he was able to relax. They wouldn't use Kim's bathroom for love or money. They had learned better and even though they were really starting to be interested in girls, sister cooties could linger well into their mid-teens. (Especially when that sister was known to be constantly lovey-dovey with her boyfriend – even if they were forced to share their bathroom with him. It's a guy thing.)

Almost as a personal sign of defiance, he shaved again after his shower, carefully lathering only his cheeks and under his chin, leaving the area he hoped would form a Vandyke alone. He was just as clean-shaven there once he was done, but it did make him feel a little better. Daily shaving had become necessary for him, though his beard really wasn't quite thick enough to grow anything visible, especially with his light colored hair.

In the kitchen he got out an empty whipped topping bowl and filled it to the rim with multi-colored sugar-coated cereal (the kind that Kim always glared at him when he chose) and got out a large soup spoon to eat it with. By the time he sat down on the couch in the family room, he was no longer so much angry with Kim, but reveling in a no-holds-barred, full bore snit.

Halfway through the bowl, he set it down on the two-tiered coffee table and let Rufus have a go at it. His little pink buddy munched on the rest of the now-soggy cereal and turned up the bowl, downing the pink, sugary milk and then collapsed backwards on the table, his stomach bulging. Moments later he was sound asleep.

Ron sat back with his legs open. He grabbed the remote with one hand and slipped the fingers of his other hand into his waist band, just like he used to see that slob of a guy do on that old sitcom. Trying his best not to, he ended up giggling thinking of Kim wandering around the room in a pair of very tight, high-waist hot pants and her red hair done up into a huge bouffant.

Not being one to hold much of a grudge, he started thinking how hot she would look dressed up that way, though he knew for certain it would never, ever happen. Besides, she looked hot enough in modern tight, low-cut jeans and any one of her collection of crop-tops.

Heck, Kim looked hot even in her rather plain, but very comfortable blue star shirt and tight sweat pants combo.

Flipping through the channels, he started regretting not going with her. He could do a run like that. A month spent in intensive training at Yamanuchi gave him that ability and he had maintained it for the most part since then. He could quite easily keep up with her but would still hang back just slightly, keeping her in his field of vision, especially the part that would draw his eyes when looking at her from behind.

Checking his watch, he figured she would be back home any minute. Kim was most likely going to be pretty angry with him, but she wasn't one to hold a grudge either. Not with him. That would give him a chance to apologize to her and make up. With the house empty, that would be very, very pleasant, even if it did take most of the day leading up to their Friday night date. It was only a routine trip to Bueno Nacho and the two dollar second-run theater, but even that was something to look forward to in his mind.

He had a very warm feeling inside thinking about how fun it was going on dates with her. Even after more than a year spent almost constantly in each other's company, that had not lost its appeal. It was really easy to bask in the glow of being such a geek and loser, yet dating not only the head cheerleader, but the Prom Queen, yet, in the end, it was still Kim. He would have wanted to date her if she was just a bespectacled nerdette. Yes, he could get angry with her, but that was completely normal. Angry was one thing, but it no longer held the dread that she would tell him things weren't working out between them.

The channel counter on the satellite receiver clicked up to two-hundred and started over at one. Weekday morning television, even with triple-digit channel selections was a barren wasteland of infomercials, cartoons meant for toddlers and the first of many totally unfathomable soap operas. Ron liked cartoons, but his favorite, while technically made for children, wouldn't be on until five that evening, with a rather improbable re-run at twelve thirty am. He could go play any one of the existing episodes on his computer, but he was feeling just a tad too lazy to get up and start them. Even the message boards, chat rooms and fan-fiction sites dedicated to the show didn't beckon him strongly enough to rouse him from the couch.

The sound of the kitchen door made him yank his hand out of the band of his shorts and cross his legs slightly. While his hand wasn't anywhere it wasn't supposed to be, he didn't want to be caught like that anyway. It mattered even less when only the twins came into the room, plopping down on either side of the older teen.

"Where's Kim?" Jim asked. Ron didn't have the ability to instantly tell the two of them apart, so he was glad the 'older' of the two boys (by five minutes) had a predilection for wearing green shirts.

"She went out for a run. Should be back pretty soon too." Ron uncrossed his legs and sat back again, half paying attention to an infomercial about some sort of rotisserie oven. It only caught his eye since he understood how the things actually worked and knew most of the stuff they were cooking wouldn't turn out that well without proper preparation.

"You're not with her?" Tim asked as he snatched the remote from the sofa cushion.

Ron propped his head on his hands, slouching down as far as the seat would allow. "Nah. Just marinatin' today. What were you two up to? Switching the propane tanks at the grocery store for J200 rocket fuel."

"No. Kim chased us out of bed this morning and said if we were doing missions we'd have to keep in shape for it..." Tim started.

"…and Mom jumped in and made us do it too, so we jumped on our bikes for a while." Jim finished.

Ron laughed slightly at that. The twins' bikes were ultra-heavy duty BMX jumping bikes, the same type used on the big ramps at the X-games, with thick, clunky chains and huge steel pegs mounted to over-sized axles. They were a far cry from his drastically out-of-date but significantly lighter mountain bike, though they were a great deal easier to ride than the high-dollar, tricked out downhill racing bike a friend had let them keep. Ron wanted to haul it up to the course on Mount Middleton and try it out, especially since he was tall enough to ride it now.

He also found it quite amusing that he wasn't the only one 'Sergeant' Kim chased out of bed that morning.

"Did you see the helicopters?" Tim asked as he started flipping through the channels all over again.

"Haven't left the house. What, some kind of news choppers?"

"No." Jim responded. "They were state of the art stealth choppers. LHX 245 Kitty Hawks. They were so cool! You almost couldn't hear them, they were so quiet."

"They have special ducted turbo-fan engines, chain-fed gatling guns with laser rangefinders and folding multi-purpose weapon racks."

"Badical! What, they doing some army type maneuver thingies?" Ron sat up, leaning on his knees.

"I don't think so. I wouldn't think the army would paint their choppers pink…"

"…and white." Tim finished. "Though I'd say they were more magenta than pink."

"Yeah, and they had some kind of symbol on the side, kind of like two Ws stacked on top of each other and two Es, with one of them backwards."

Ron sat bolt upright in his seat. Two Ws and Two Es. Pinkish magenta and white. He had seen all of that up-close and personal.

_The World-Wide Evil Empire!_

A couple years ago the then-leader of WWEE had ordered his capture because Global Justice thought there was something special about him that enabled Kim to succeed so often on her missions; his _Ron Factor_. Kim and Betty Director, the head of Global Justice and twin sister of their evil leader, Gemini (or Sheldon Director) tracked a faint signal to their hidden Atlantic Ocean base to rescue him. The two of them hadn't heard anything from them since then, especially with Gemini still sitting in prison (at least as far as he knew.)

Pulling his Kimmunicator out, he mashed the number two call button, linking him directly with Kim's. The screen lit up, but all he could see were tiny leaves and a bit of sky.

"Kim!...KIM!" His heart was hammering in his chest. He stood up and paced for a moment, watching the unchanging screen. He knew what he needed to do next, but he also didn't want to switch off the screen, just in case she could hear him.

Something did come into frame. At first he couldn't tell what it was, but the sounds soon gave it away. There was a definite snuffling, then the whole image was blotted out as what sounded like a curious dog put its nose on the visual pickup. The image brightened again, but it was out of focus, smudged by the canine's wet proboscis.

"Jim, Tim, do your Kimmunicators tie in with Wade?"

"Jimmunicator."

"And Timmunicator." They corrected him.

"Whatever, just get him, okay!" Still watching the screen he ran back into his room. Ron had his mission clothes on in under a minute. "Kim!" He kept calling at the screen. No answer was forthcoming.

Tim handed over the Timmunicator as he met him in the hall. The two boys bolted upstairs, probably to get into their own black and olive outfits.

"Ron, I've got a lock on Kim's Kimmunicator. It's about one hundred yards from the eastern edge of Middleton Park." Wade said as he frantically pounded on his keyboards.

"What about Kim? What about her chip?"

"That's just it. I'm not getting a fix on it in the vicinity of her Kimmunicator or anywhere for that matter."

"Is it being jammed?" Ron was becoming frantic. Besides her omni-device Kim didn't have any of her regular equipment on her. None of the clothes she had been wearing that morning had room for anything more than basic ID.

"I can't tell. It's like it just isn't there."

Ron grimaced. When Gemini captured him, he hit him with some sort of energy field that not only disabled the telemetric devices GJ had sewn into his clothes, but his tracking chip as well. If something had happened to Kim it was highly likely they had done the very same thing to her.

Jim and Tim returned, dressed in identical mission gear, forcing Ron to rely in the fact Tim's hair was slightly shaggier than his brother's to tell them apart. His mind randomly flipped over to noting he really needed to pay more attention to the slight differences in the two boys before being yanked back to the situation at hand.

He went over what they knew. WWEE helicopters had been spotted and Kim was incommunicado. It wasn't too big a leap to think the two were connected, though there was always the possibility that she had simply tripped and fallen into some bushes and simply needed him to come after her.

When did anything that simple ever happen to them?

"Where were those choppers?" He asked as he headed toward the door, the two boys close behind.

"They were headed west from Middleton Park when we saw them." One of the twins reported.

"Got that, Wade?"

"Yeah, but I'm not getting any tracking on them. Whatever they're using, if you don't actually see them with your naked eye, they're practically invisible."

Ron's frown got even worse. If Wade wasn't able to track them, who could? It wasn't like he could simply go to Global Justice and ask for help; the Team Possible tech-master was tied directly into their tracking systems, as well as several civilian and military systems as well.

"What's the plan?" Tim asked as they raced across the front yard.

He took a moment to consider the fact the two youngest members of the team were suddenly turning to him for leadership. No matter what he had learned, no matter what skills he had acquired over the years…even though he sometimes griped that Kim always led their missions…Ron always automatically deferred to her in the field. It was so strange that suddenly he was the one with the most experience, and therefore the leader.

He wished it had come about some other way.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind as his foot hit the sidewalk as they bolted toward the park. It was close enough they could get there just as fast on foot as using Kim's car, especially in morning traffic.

What if Global Justice was already aware of the sitch?

Given that, he shouldn't have been surprised when the sidewalk gave way beneath his feet. Still, he screamed most of the way down the tube transport to GJ headquarters. His heart was still racing as the capsule opened, admitting him to the control center. Moments later another tube produced the twins.

"Good morning, Team Possible." Doctor Director greeted them tersely. "We were just about to call you."

"What's the sitch?" The words escaped his lips before he could even think about how cool it was to be the one asking that. His mind was in other places. Especially on the fact the last words he had spoken to Kim were cross ones.

Betty Director turned to one of her operatives. "Main screen turn on." The central monitor in the bank of screens dominating the far wall came to life. A man in a familiar hooded uniform appears. The mask and visor covered enough of his face that all they could tell was that he was a fair skinned man of average build. Ron had the impression he was tall as well, though he could only be seen from the chest up.

"How are you gentlemen? I am Agent Alpha of the World-Wide Evil Empire. All your top-agent are belong to us."

"What you say?" The three teens said at once.

"We have captured your number one agent, Global Justice. In thirty minutes I will contact you with out demands, or she will have no chance to survive. Make your time."

The message ended. "That came in almost half and hour ago." Dr. Director said. "At first I thought they were referring to Agent Du, but he has since reported in from his assignment in Kuwait. As he referred to the top agent they had in custody as 'she' I could only assume he meant Kim Possible."

Ron jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Kim's brothers said they saw WWEE helicopters coming from Middleton Park."

Betty Director nodded.

"We get signal." The operative switched the viewer back on.

Agent Alpha was there once more, but the shot was wider. In the background they could see Kim strapped to a chair just like the one Gemini had imprisoned Ron in. She appeared unhurt, though she seemed to be unconscious.

"What have you done to Kim?" Ron snarled. His fists were clenched, the knuckles white. Small, subtle sparks of blue light were starting to arc around his hands.

"Agent Possible is unharmed. Agent Stoppable. That she remains that way is totally up to you." He turned his attention to the older woman. "Our demands are simple. Release Gemini and we will let her go unharmed. Fail to do so, and she will be obliterated! You have three hours to deliver our glorious leader. I will be contacting you again in one hour." With that, the screen went blank.

"We can't get a lock on where the signal was coming from." The operator said. "It's like the signal is coming from over forty locations from all over the globe at once."

"Ron." Betty said softly. "Of course you know, there is no way we can give into their demands. As valuable an asset as Kim Possible is to us, we do not negotiate with terrorists."

He closed his eyes, grinding his teeth. He expected that from her, but hearing it still hurt. "Then we have to find out where that signal was really coming from."

He pulled out his Kimmunicator and hit the main call button.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	18. Part XVIII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XVIII**

* * *

Kim waited a few minutes before opening her eyes as she regained consciousness. Her mind was alert enough to divine that she was somehow restrained and there were voices and electronic sounds all around her. She seemed to be somewhere between sitting and lying prone. Considering what she had seen before she was knocked out, she pretty much figured what position she was in.

Slowly she cracked an eye open. A bright light was shining directly on her, and just as she was thinking, she was secured to an interrogation chair just like the one Ron was strapped into when the same organization had kidnapped him.

She needn't have bothered trying to conceal her awareness. The same man who jabbed her with the knockout drug was standing over her, smiling softly. She let her eyes snap the rest of the way open, imagining they were capable of boring holes directly through the smug grin on her tall captor's face.

"Oh, I knew you would be awake by now, Kim Possible. The drug was keyed very specifically to your body mass and estimates about your metabolism based upon careful observations."

"What do you want, Alpha." She knew enough from Ron's debriefing to know who she was speaking to.

"What I want, my dear girl, is to spread evil and chaos throughout the world. That is my calling as the acting leader of the World-Wide Evil Empire. As for you, well, you are simply a nice bargaining chip."

"Whatever you're planning to trade me for, it won't work, Alpha. If you're smart enough to run even this bunch, then you're smart enough to know Global Justice never bargains with people like you."

He cocked his head since raising an eyebrow wouldn't have been visible behind the visor. "Really? Imagine that."

Walking around the other side of her, he went on, "You know, I think they may start off saying just that. They will play lip service to that credo, but in the end I think one of three things will happen, and whichever they choose, I…we win.

"You see, they could do the intelligent thing and give in to my demands."

"Which are?" Kim prompted, gingerly testing her bonds.

"Oh, yes, you want me to gloat and tell you about our plans. It won't do you any good to know, so I will tell you. I have promised not to obliterate you if they release Gemini. Now, you see, if they meet our demands, our glorious leader will be restored to us."

Kim turned her head to follow the slowly pacing Agent Alpha. "You do know the first time you tick him off he's going to chuck you down the closest chute?"

Alpha smiled warmly. "I'm sure he will find an excuse to try, but one does not become Alpha without a certain knack for survival, wouldn't you think?

"Now, if they were to do something foolish, like refuse our demands, then the other two scenarios will be set into motion. In one, you're beloved Ron Stoppable will move heaven and Earth to do whatever is necessary to ensure your safety. In the other, he will be prevented from doing even that. I should think the latter will be true, since I have already seen with my own eyes that he has delivered himself to Global Justice…"

He was interrupted by an incessant yapping coming from a nearby console. He calmly walked over to it and spoke quietly to something in a ventilated crate. Kim could only assume it was Gemini's Chihuahua, Pepe.

He spoke a little louder while he continued soothing the tiny dog. "You see, in either case, you will be out of the picture, rendering him either ineffective lacking his partner, or simply unable to be controlled, making him equally ineffective."

"Sounds more like you have a knack for underestimating Ron."

"I have made…that mistake has been made before. Never again. In any case, Glo…"

There was a slight growl from the case.

"…our enemy will be drawn out into the open, declaring war on WWEE. In doing so, we will achieve one of our aims; to foment chaos worldwide. While they concentrate fruitlessly on us, others will be given free reign. Anarchy will reign, and from the ashes, we will arise to take our place as the new masters of this planet of chaos."

"Okay, you've got the insane megalomaniac part down pat. Good gloat, I give it a nine point eight."

"You have a good sense of humor, Kim Possible. I like that. So much better than the cowering and whimpering I usually hear. But you know what? I actually would rather see them try to defy us. In doing so, I will prove myself once and for all to be the rightful leader of this organization. I will no longer merely be Agent Alpha. I will be the strongest, the smartest and the most ruthless leader WWEE has ever known, and unlike my predecessor, I will not foolishly waste my resources on petty feuds with my family. I will not waste my personnel for the slightest of failings. WWEE will grow stronger than it ever was before, and the world will tremble before our might. Doctor Drakken will look like Santa Claus and Professor Dementor will look like his elf."

Alpha had to stop himself for a moment, laughing at the image of the two super-villains dressed up for the holidays.

About that moment a light went on at the control console. "Ah, it is time. Watch well, hero. This might be the last time you ever see your beloved angel." He touched a control and a large screen sprang from behind the panel. It flickered to life.

Doctor Director was standing at the fore of the group. As promised, Kim could see Ron and her brothers standing behind her. The look in her boyfriend's eyes could cut steel.

Alpha inclined his head to give the impression he was looking down on the head of Global Justice. "What is your decision, Doctor Director? Kim Possible's continued good health for Gemini?"

Betty Director slowly nodded. "Very well, Agent Alpha. We will release Sheldon Director from prison, as long as Miss Possible is set free, unharmed."

The six foot tall agent crossed his arms smugly. "You know, I would never be so foolish to admit this to your brother, but you are in fact the more intelligent, the wiser of the two of you. You have made a very wise decision. I had faith in where and in who you place real value. You have my word Kim Possible will be unharmed. I will transmit the coordinates for the rendezvous in one hour."

He turned back to Kim. "You see? Whichever way this fell, I win."

She kept glaring at him, not letting her eyes reveal that she was watching Ron as he mouthed a two syllable word.

* * *

"Okay, Jim, Tim, whatta you got?" Ron asked as the screen went blank.

The boys went right over to one of the computer banks and pulled up a world map. Jim pointed to a number of dots indicated on it. "Here are the transmission sources for the signal. There were forty two in total, but we have already eliminated ten of those as coming from unlikely sources."

"Actually, Wade did that." Tim cut in.

"Yeah. Unfortunately, he can't isolate the signal from any of the remaining thirty two."

Doctor Director shook her head. "That's not going to help. We don't have the manpower to raid that many locations simultaneously."

"No." Jim said. "But what if there is another way to narrow them down."

"Gimme the LSS, boys." Ron prompted. LSS was Monique-speak for Long Story Short.

Tim worked another set of controls. The map zoomed into Colorado and the states immediately surrounding it. A large circle was superimposed on that map, with Middleton, appropriately, in the very middle.

"That's the projected range for the type of helicopter they were using, based on the time we observed them to the time we knew for a fact they had Kim." Jim started.

Tim went on. "This is taking into account any potential modifications they made to boost the speed of that particular model without rendering their stealth capabilities useless."

Jim pointed to the dots within the circle. "These are the only transmission points inside that area. Kim has to be at one of them."

Tim walked over beside his brother and pointed to two of them. "The copters were headed west when we saw them."

Betty Director nodded once. "Good work, boys." With that, she started giving orders to her people.

Ron moved closer to the brothers. "What if they turned around after you saw them?"

"They'd have to do that after they cleared the city, so there would be less chance they'd be seen. If they did that, they'd have to flat out haul to get to the third location."

Ron rubbed his chin. "I think you know what you two have to do."

* * *

The first hour passed, or at least Kim assumed it had. Alpha would appear from time to time, finally transmitting a simple coded message revealing the rendezvous point. He turned to look at her for a short moment, smiled, and went back to whatever else it was he was doing.

* * *

A Global Justice hoverjet descended into an open field. Parked nearby was a single magenta and white helicopter. Interestingly enough, this was all taking place in broad daylight. It didn't matter, there were large tracts of land where the only witnesses would be animals and the occasional hiker or hunter. This would take place too quickly for anyone to report anything untoward, so there was little care if anyone actually saw it happen.

The ramp on the hoverjet slowly opened. A slightly heavyset man with a neat Vandyke and upswept hair stepped off first, flanked by two large agents. He wasn't wearing his accustomed uniform, but an orange prison jumpsuit. One hand was bound to his waist with a thick chain attached to a leather belt. He had leg irons on as well. His right hand was covered in a dark glove, with a chain restraining it further up his arm.

The two WWEE Agents took notice of this and nodded to each other. Gemini had an artificial right hand and it was clear his bionic implant had been replaced with a more pedestrian prosthetic. No matter, his missile equipped digits would be easily replaced once he was back among his cohorts.

Doctor Director stepped off the jet last. "Where is Kim Possible?"

"She's safe." The first one shouted over the din of the idling engines of both craft.

One of the GJ agents put a restraining hand on Gemini's shoulder. "We don't release Sheldon until you release Kim." Betty shouted, her one eye betraying growing anger.

"No, we don't think so." The second said as a blue beam of light lanced out of the woods. All four figures standing outside the hoverjet fell to the ground, unable to move.

The first agent, with the Greek letter Pi emblazoned on his chest rushed over to his fallen leader. "I'm sorry, Gemini, but it was necessary to use the immobilization ray on you as well as the others. The effects will wear off soon enough and by then you will be safe."

Betty Director struggled to turn so she could see the two WWEE agents fleeing with their leader. "It's not going to do you any good. I have teams raiding your base of operations as we speak."

"I don't think so." Agent Alpha said as he emerged from the woods with an energy rifle. He climbed into the helicopter with the rest of his men and moments later the chopper was quietly streaking away from there.

They didn't see the slight smile on the leader of Global Justice's face as they fled.

* * *

Kim was not about to believe she would simply be set free, so she was not surprised when she was left there in that reclined chair as Alpha climbed into a helicopter and flew out of the large, hanger-like structure they were using as their new base of operations.

She was still puzzling out why Ron would silently mouth the word 'Bebe' to her. What did Drakken's erstwhile killer fem-bots have to do with anything going on there?

Quicker than she expected, the chopper returned. Her heart sank a little bit when she saw Alpha get out with Gemini. That GJ would cave in to that kind of demand was unfathomable. Yet, there he was, in the orange clad flesh. A trio of agents rushed right up to him with heavy bolt cutters and made short work of his chains. Another graciously handed him his uniform, which he draped over his arm as he made his way toward her.

She had a pretty fair idea how old Betty Director was, but somehow that estimate seemed to fly out the window when she got a good look at her twin brother. He didn't look mere minutes older than her, he looked a full decade older, at the very least. Prison must not have been good to him, as his color didn't look too good, even in the less than stellar light in most of the complex. Since just about everything was painted red, everything took on a strange, sinister hue. All except for her in that pool of hot, white light.

"Very good, agent Alpha. Capturing the great Kim Possible is quite an accomplishment."

Kim had the impression Alpha's eyes were locked right into hers though the dark lens of his visor. His smile was certainly smug enough.

"Yes sir. We have secured your freedom as well as keeping her in our control. Now there will be nothing left to stop us."

"No, there won't."

Gemini's voice sounded odd, almost distant. Kim couldn't quite place what was wrong with it. He didn't sound tired or hoarse, he just sounded…different than he had the last time she encountered him.

"Agent Alpha. I notice that the prisoner is awake."

"Yes sir. It was important for her to be awake when we contacted the enemy."

"I see." There was a touch of sinister mirth in the villain's voice. "I would imagine she was sleeping quite well when you brought her here?"

"Of course."

"It's a shame, then, that you awakened her." His voice dropped a little, becoming low and threatening. "It is not nice to be awakened from a good night's sleep."

"I don't understand, Gemini. The drug we used was timed so she would come out of it at a predictable time. There was no need to take the risk of using a stimulant to bring her around."

The older man leaned right over Kim, looking her straight in the eyes. She noticed his eyes were chocolate brown. "That's good, then, because when somebody wakes up before they think they are supposed to, the may act badly and say things they don't mean and that they may regret later." He said, leaning over her.

Something slipped out of Gemini's sleeve on the far side of her body from Agent Alpha. It moved of its own accord, squeezing into the leather cuff holding her in place. Moments later, she could feel the bonds starting to come loose.

Her eyes went wide. Ron wasn't talking about the Bebe robots themselves. He was reminding of her what he did the first time they went up against them.

Unseen by Alpha, Gemini's 'bad' hand gently gripped Kim's fingertips. It took all of her will power to keep from smiling.

Standing up straight, Gemini faced his number-one lackey. "Agent Alpha, you have failed me for the last time." He said dangerously.

Kim felt the cuff come completely loose. Arching her back ever so slightly, she felt something squirm underneath her. It was a very, very strange feeling have a warm, smooth thing squeezing past her bare flesh, but it made her quite happy none the less.

"I…I don't understand, Gemini. You said I did well. You are here, we have captured Kim Possible. What else could you possibly want me to do?"

"Gemini is free?" His voice seemed to shift up two octaves, into a chipper, boyish voice that Kim loved to hear so much. "Oh, I think he's still sitting in his cell, where he's going to be for at least the next fifty years."

"Huh?"

Before Alpha could say another word, the hanger doors of the complex were blown off their hinges by shaped charges. Two small figures shot through the clouds of smoke, sailing above the startled WWEE troops, dropping what looked like small black canisters as they flew. Colored smoke started pouring out of the objects.

"What the hell?" Alpha turned and looked at his 'leader,' just in time to receive a head-butt from him.

Gemini staggered back slightly. "Ow, ow, ow. KP, I do not recommend that."

Her other hand popped free as Rufus got the buckle loose. She was stiff from being confined to the chair for several hours, but she was ready for action.

Ron reached for his neck and pulled the Movie Magic Makeup mask off his head. His hair was matted with sweat, but he was grinning from ear-to-ear.

Kim was already springing into action. Enough of the WWEE goons had recovered from the male portion of Team Possible's attack to move in on their position. She did a somersault off the edge of the platform, catching two of them in the chin with a flying kick.

Alpha had recovered enough to get back up on his knee. He took one look at who he had thought to be Gemini and bellowed in rage. "You!"

"What is this?" Ron complained, "Do all the bad guys in the world have to have trouble with my name?"

"I'll show you trouble, Stoppable!" Alpha charged him, his fist held high, ready to strike.

Kim vaulted over another agent, wrapping her legs around the chest of the next, slamming him to the ground with a twist of her body. She landed like a cat, leaping straight into the air as one more rushed her. She knocked his head sideways with a kick that sent her into a clear portion of the floor.

Jim threw a length of grappler cable to Tim and they rocketed across the floor, bowling over at least a dozen goons.

"Hick-a-bick-a-boo?" One asked. "Hoo-sha!" The other replied as they circled around for another pass.

Ron ducked Alpha's attack, bringing an elbow up into the slightly taller man's stomach. It didn't have the impact it would have with his bare arm, since the 'fat suit' he was wearing was rather thickly padded. He may have put on some slight bulk since the last time he tangoed with WWEE, but Ron was still not as stocky as Gemini.

Alpha spotted a number of GJ agents starting to pour in through the breech. He could also see the number of his agents now littering the floor. Just as he told Kim earlier, he had not risen so quickly to his position without a certain skill for survival.

Instead of rushing Ron again, he simply bolted, heading for a concealed tunnel that would lead to a smaller, hidden helicopter.

Ron was right on his heels. Alpha got half-way down the passage before Ron was able to catch up to him, tackling him to the floor. The scuffle that ensued was a tangle of legs, elbows and fists. At some point in the melee, the hood and visor were ripped away. In desperation, he swung an elbow at Ron's chin, connecting and sending him sprawling backwards.

He was up on his feet in an instant, rolling with the blow in a move he had learned at Yamanuchi. He stopped when he got a good look at his opponent.

"Oh…my…God!" he stood there transfixed, not believing what he was seeing.

"Your God has nothing to do with me." He threw something at the floor, causing a brilliant flash of light.

When Ron's vision cleared, Alpha was gone, with only the faint sound of rotors telling him where he had gone. Slowly he turned and headed back toward the main complex.

Kim was busy tying up the last of the goons when he walked back in. She took one look at him and rushed right over, throwing her arms around him. If anyone needed any proof she was far stronger than her one hundred five pound frame seemed, they would have had it when she lifted him from the floor, body suit and all.

"Did you get Alpha?" She asked when she finally set him down (though she didn't let him go.)

Ron shook his head sadly. "No, I'm afraid he got away. Sorry, KP."

"Don't worry, we'll get him next time." She said happily, planting kiss after kiss on him.

Ron spared the entrance of the escape passage worriedly. "Yeah, I sure hope so."

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	19. Part XIX

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XIX – 5 days and Counting to Kim's Birthday**

* * *

For Kim's parents, it seemed like that one last week of their daughter's 'childhood' went by in an instant. Everything seemed to fall into a familiar pattern of routine that only adults can perceive since they didn't have a nearly three month vacation from work. They were still young enough to know just how slow that time must have been progressing for Kim.

At least nothing terrible ever came from that little fight they had that one Friday morning.

As she drove home from the Middleton Medical Center that day, Anne smiled as she turned onto her street. A very distinctive grille was visible in her rearview mirror. Jaguar S-types were rare enough that it was pretty easy to assume it was James behind her, especially since his was the only bronze colored one she knew of (and that was especially true considering several of the doctors at the center owned that particular model as well.) That meant the two of the had timed it right and would arrive home together. Of course, there as still the little dance they had to do about whose vehicle would be parked outside in the driveway since Kim's car was almost always occupying one of the two spaces in the garage, but that didn't matter much to her. At least the neighborhood association hadn't started making rules about where cars could be parked…yet.

During the day, her feelings about the tiff (she had seen Kim and Ron fight before – the events she had witnessed that morning hardly qualified) had changed from slight worry to amused concern. What the kids had was far stronger than some minor hurt feelings about sleeping late and they would have to learn to work that sort of thing out.

Hah! Who was she kidding. That sort of thing still happened to her with James after twenty years of marriage. Either one of them could be cranky given a moment's notice.

Kim certainly got her crankiness from her father!

She pulled into the drive first, taking the coveted second spot in the garage, scoring a small victory and ensuring her husband would have to spend a little bit of time outdoors washing his car once the neighborhood birds made their usual deposits. With Ron and the twins assigned the yard-work duties, James was spending a little too much time up in his study for her comfort.

Surprisingly, it looked like Kim's car had not been moved all day. That had to be an absolute first (not counting her recent grounding.) Her daughter loved that car and loved finding any excuse possible to go out driving in it. That made her start worrying all over again how things had gone for the kids during the day. It made it seem likely the two of them had been moping around the house all day, their little disagreement festering into something well out of proportion to what had actually happened.

Anne waited for James to catch up to her before letting the garage door down. "How was your day?" He asked, giving her a quick kiss.

"Thankfully no procedures today, though I've got three tomorrow and one of them is going to be a doozy. Looks like your going to have to pick up dinner for the kids unless we can talk Ron into fixing something."

"Sounds like a plan." He glanced over at the smaller car behind their new mini-van. It was still silver, the same color it had been when Kim came home on Thursday night. For a while she was changing it almost every time she changed outfits, using the special chromatic shifting paint that had been developed by Doctor Julius Freeman, along with some other enhancements Wade had included in the system.

"Doesn't look like Kimmie went out today." He frowned slightly, looking in the car's direction.

"Doesn't mean the kids are actually home. They had plenty of places to go on foot before she had it. That's why we waited until after graduation to get her a car."

Both of them were in for a shock when they went inside.

All four kids were seated around the kitchen table, playing "Risk" with James' classic set. In their usual fashion, it appeared Kim and Ron had teamed up to battle Jim and Tim in the game of world domination. From the look of the game pieces still on the board, it looked like the game had gone on for quite a while. Depending on which version of the rules were used, those games could go on for days at a time.

The irony of a pair of teens who routinely defeated villains bent on conquering the globe playing such a game was not lost on her.

James was standing beside her with his mouth slightly open. The kids were deep into the game, obviously having a blast. What was so strange was the four of them playing together without the twins trying to blow something up (save Ron's thinly stretched supply lines on the game board) and Kim not growling at them constantly for being…Tweebs.

"I think we need to call Wade." He whispered to his wife, not taking his eyes off the four teens.

"What on Earth for, Dear?"

"Somebody has captured our kids and replaced them with duplicates."

"Enjoy it while you can, James." She walked right into the kitchen and started laying our food for dinner. "So, what kind of day did the four of you have?"

Kim looked up from the game with a cheerful expression. Instead of her usual tank and shorts combo she was wearing a huge, teal colored t-shirt with a "Save the Manatees" logo she brought back from a support mission in the Florida keys a couple years ago. It was so huge on her there was no telling if she actually had her shorts on under it. "Same old, same old. Got captured by a group bent on spreading evil and chaos throughout the world, Ron and my brothers came to rescue me, captured most of them. Nothing special."

"You and Ronald get all squared away?" James asked as he unfolded his half-read paper.

Kim ran her bare foot up Ron's leg. "I'd say so." She gave her boyfriend a look that made her father decidedly uncomfortable, making him wonder if the game were all that had gone on that afternoon.

Anne rolled her eyes, catching both her daughter's look and her husband's expression. "So, are you two going out tonight, or should I cook for six?"

"I think we've been out enough for one day, Mrs. Dr. P." Ron rolled his dice against Tim, losing yet another piece from his fortifications in South America.

"Yeah." Kim agreed. "I think somebody's earned a little time to be lazy, and for a change, I'm simpatico with that myself."

Kim and Ron turned their attention back to the game, though the other little game going on under the table continued. Anne was certainly relieved after her moment of panic things hadn't simmered all day long.

How strange it was to think that being captured by and doing battle with some criminal nut cases didn't bother her as much as a minor bump in their relationship.

It was also strange to have the whole family together for most of the night. She even left the dishes in the sink, preferring to sit and watch movies with them instead. The younger couple were becoming more and more like her and James all the time, sitting on the couch with their shoulders touching, Kim sometimes resting her head on Ron's shoulder instead of being constantly curled up together. Their habits were evolving right along with their relationship, to the point where she no longer had the urge to drag James and the twins out of the room to leave them alone. After all, if they really wanted some private time, there was no longer anything preventing them from adjourning to one of their rooms for the early part of the evening since there was nothing preventing that any more. She had a notion that 'making out' was probably starting to take on a new dimension, though the time the two of them spent doing it had slacked off considerably. They were starting to get really comfortable with all of that and becoming more like their old 'best friend' selves the rest of the time.

James still had to chase Ron out of Kim's room from time to time, declaring it 'bed time.' It was no wonder the young man wanted to sleep well past sunrise. It was quite rare for him to be in bed any earlier than one in the morning.

Ah, to be young like that again. If there was some way to harness their ability to constantly be up all hours of the night while suppressing the desire to sleep all morning, it would certainly be a blessing to people like her who sometimes had to pull extremely long shifts while performing super-critical tasks. It certainly would have come in handy that Saturday when she ended up doing an intricate, sixteen-hour procedure.

By Monday she was back on a reasonable schedule and was able to take the day off to catch up on some house work. She was getting spoiled having Ron around the house and would regret his leaving after Jean recovered from giving birth. It was amazing how good he was at household chores. If there was one regret she had raising Kim it was her utter and complete failure to teach her how to properly care for a home. It wasn't that she was sloppy or lazy about any of it, she simply hadn't been shown how to do most of it.

Ron, on the other hand, was almost as handy with the laundry as he was the cooking. Part of it was due to Kim. When her clothes started accumulating at his house, his mother insisted that he do his own laundry, just in case anything embarrassing ended up in the wash. That made Anne wonder if Jean suspected something might be going on between the two kids long before they actually got together, but it certainly made for a well-trained young man. It was going to be very funny watching the two of them settle down together sometime in the not-so-distant future. Obviously most of the tasks that fell to her in their home were going to be placed upon Ron, if they were to get done at all.

Still, with the occasional missions, Ron couldn't do it all. Not with six people living there and a teenaged girl who happened to change clothes several times a day, not counting mission wear. That didn't bother her at all. Keeping home was always a pleasure for Anne.

Never once, in all the nearly fourteen years she had known him, had she ever been in Ron's room. That wasn't surprising, since they had only been to his house a handful of times. Still, she wondered what it might look like. He might be a polite, thoughtful, conscientious young man, but he did not keep a neat room. Clothes landed right where they were stripped off at night, though sometimes when it got too bad he would pile them on his bed. The bed itself was another thing. She was convinced he had never made one in his entire life, save when he changed the sheets. She knew he could do it, even using hospital corners. When he went into 'housekeeper' mode, he had almost military precision with things. Yet, when he rolled out of bed in the mornings, the thought of putting the bed back together obviously never occurred to him.

As usual, the room was a mess. His pile of pillows were strewn all about the bed and the comforter was just a pile on the floor at the foot, only one corner remaining tucked in. The sheet was a rumpled mess and had likely been kicked off some time during the night. It was a good thing the downstairs bathroom wasn't attached to his room, or there would have been dirty boxers mixed in with the shorts, t-shirts and cargo pants strewn about the floor.

He could be forgiven the mess that day, at least, since all four kids were called upon to help deliver some relief supplies in the jungles of the Amazon Basin. They trooped into the kitchen that morning, grabbing breakfast bars before heading out the door.

The inclusion of the twins made her especially happy. Once the initial shock of them doing missions wore off, she realized it had done a lot to bring Kim closer to them. They were just far apart enough in age that, until this point, they really didn't have all that much in common. For the past year it had all been Kim and Ron doing their thing, leaving the boys behind. Now at least they were together and when there was real danger involved, the older kids would be there to protect Jim and Tim while they got the experience they needed to take on assignments alone.

A bit of a devil landed on Anne's shoulder. She was not prone to snooping, but using the pretense of cleaning up Ron's room, she had a little look around. So far the most interesting thing she had seen in there was a tell-tale shape on his wallet when he had left it there to go swimming. Taking a peek, she discovered the little square packet had been in there so long it was stuck to the inside. She shook her head, assuming Gene had insisted he carry that with him, not knowing that Kim was protected if they decided to go down that road.

She also wondered how Kim would react if she knew he had that in there.

Deciding there were no juicy tidbits to be gleaned from his room that particular day, she went about making his bed and putting away some clean laundry. It wasn't until she got into his sock drawer that she found something _very_ interesting.

It was pretty well hidden. Anne chalked it up to her 'mother's' senses that she even discovered it. The small, square box was stuffed into a pair of rolled-up wool socks, pushed far back in the drawer. The last time she had seen him wear them was on the camping trip, since most of the rest of the time he was wearing sports socks or just sandals.

Carefully taking note of how the socks were rolled, she pulled them apart, dropping the velvet covered container on the bed. With Kim's birthday that coming Saturday, she had a strong suspicion what it might be. Ron loved giving Kim jewelry and while they both agreed they would only get small, inexpensive items for each other so they could save money for their trip, it was just like him to buy her something nice anyway. The emeralds he had given her the year before and back at Valentine's Day were astoundingly beautiful.

Expecting yet another shining green stone, perhaps a pendant to add to her necklace, she opened the box…

…and dropped it right on the bed.

"Oh my." She said aloud, even though there wasn't anybody in the house to hear her.

Hesitantly, she picked the box up again. There was in fact a jewel in the box.

It wasn't green.

The stone glittering in the morning sunlight that streamed through the window had no color of its own at all, though it cast rainbows in every direction. It wasn't large, but it didn't have to be. She mentally chastised herself for not realizing what she held in her hands was a ring box.

The ring itself was simple, unadorned shining gold, but the luster of the metal was nothing compared to that of the single, princess-cut diamond mounted on it.

Anne sat down on the edge of Ron's bed, wiping away the tears running down her cheeks. She knew this day would come sooner than later, but the reality of it came rushing to her like a wave crashing over her head. She thought she was ready for this, but it still came as a great shock.

She held in her hands the engagement ring Ron was going to give to Kim. It was one thing to watch him give her that promise ring, yet here, only a few short months later, was the symbol of a commitment that could last them the rest of their lives.

When was he going to do it? Was he going to propose at the family dinner they would have to celebrate her turning eighteen? Or was it going to happen on their upcoming trip? She suddenly found herself in possession of knowledge she was not yet supposed to have. She and James shared a wish that one day Ron would formally ask them for Kim's hand in marriage, yet now it seemed he was going to take the more modern, though romantic approach of doing it in private.

Staring at the tiny bauble, she realized it was almost identical to the one James had given her on that fine day in 1983. It had been a long time since she had worn even her wedding ring. In her line of work they were simply in the way, but the image of those most important pieces of jewelry were emblazoned in her mind.

Anne sat there for the longest time, trying to decide how she felt about all of it. As mature as the kids were acting, they were in fact very, very young. She took heart in the fact Kim very clearly wanted to wait until they were done with school before going forward with starting her own family, though that could be taken to mean that's when she wanted to start having children.

She had a horrible thought the two of them might elope during their vacation. That added a whole new dimension to their impending trek. Almost immediately she discarded the notion. Kim was looking forward to living at home while she went to college. Somehow she didn't think that jibed too well with having Ron move permanently into her room. If that were their plan, then they were going to have to find some place their own.

No. That wasn't going to happen. Not to her daughter. It was rather ironic that, given the proof the kids were planning to spend their lives together, she was just like her husband. She wasn't quite ready for that. Of course, there was no way she could prevent it if Kim's mind was made up, but she had a great deal of faith in her daughter. If they were going to get married, it was most likely going to be just as she said, after school. That was still really, really young, but she also had faith in their relationship.

If any two people could be called real soulmates, then they were it.

Carefully, she closed the box back up and rolled it back into the socks before placing it back in his drawer.

Kim's birthday party was going to be very interesting for her.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	20. Part XX

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XX – Zero Hour One – Kim's Birthday – Morning.**

* * *

"So, I'm waiting, what do you think?" Kim spun around, letting the pleated skirt of the pink mini-dress she was wearing rise up slightly, just enough to suggest without actually revealing.

Monique stroked her chin lightly. "Normally, I'd say redheads shouldn't wear pink, but that's the rule. I think that look works on you."

"Do you think Ron's going to like it?" She asked, running her hands over the low waist-line. The outfit was a strapless design that managed to accentuate both her modest bust and her curved hips. With it, she actually had just a little bit of cleavage, though that was more due to a little bit of filling out that came with her rapidly approaching adulthood. She would likely never catch up to Monique or Tara (and especially not to Bonnie) but she was happy to have a little more bounce than she used to.

Her friend just raised her eyebrows. "I think BSR still applies to your boy, but I think any straight male with a pulse is going to like that on you."

"BSR?"

"Burlap Sack Rule. As in he'd think you're hot if you showed up wearing one."

"Monique, I don't think he's that blind to what I've got on. He certainly has his favorites, like my yellow top." She nodded toward the cream yellow peasant top lying in the dressing room. "And he complains sometimes when I wear that yellow shirt with the star on it.

"Like I haven't? Just shows he's learning a little style, that's all. Besides, I think he likes that top on you because he wants to play with the laces on the collar."

Kim smiled softly. "More like he _likes_ to play with the laces on the collar. Somehow I think I'm going to be wearing that top when he gets to second base."

"Girl, if he doesn't get to second base by the time your trip is over, we need to get him an audition to join the cast of _Evil Eye for the Bad Guy_, if you know what I mean. Besides, you're eighteen now, you're your own woman, you should be able to start letting some more 'adult' things happen between the two of you."

"Well, technically I won't be eighteen until nine seventeen tonight, but Ron's not like that at all. I just keep telling him to save some good stuff for later. Besides, when we're alone, my shoulders are not the only parts of my body being kneaded." He smile got a little bit wider. She was letting Ron get some 'hands-on' experience more and more often. She went back into the dressing room and started changing back out of the dress. "Okay, I'm getting this one. Is it alright if I use your discount?"

"Always, Kim."

She pulled the shoulder straps of her bra back up, trying to decide if she was going to wear the dress without one or bring out her strapless 'front and center' one that evening. "So, what did you think of the campus?"

Monique shrugged. She had just gotten back from a trip to Durham, North Carolina the night before after an official rising freshmen's tour of Duke University. "The campus itself is cool, but I'm bugging about the Freshmen dorms. It's gonna take a lot to make that place home. I so envy you, staying at home, pretty much living with Ron."

Kim frowned slightly. "Only for about five or six more weeks, maybe a bit longer, depending on how quickly his Mom gets back on her feet, so it's not gonna be all that. We won't have any classes together at all the first semester, so we're really not going to get to see all that much of each other except first thing in the morning and going home."

"Still better than me and Felix. It's just going to cost too much to keep running up to Massachusetts every weekend and I still think I'm going to burn up all my cell minutes talking to him."

"I should get Wade to set you up with a plan like mine. Then you can talk to him all hours of the day." Kim slipped her sports sandals back on.

"Cool. Say, are we going to see something special at the party tonight? Say, maybe a present from a certain somebody that comes in very small boxes."

Kim shook her head. "Fraid not, Mon. For one thing, Ron's birthday is still a week away, so he's still technically seventeen, though the party's for both of us."

"Like that matters, if he's ready to ask you."

She pursed her lips slightly. "Actually, he kinda already has." She held up her ring. "We've sort of planned the whole thing out already. We do the fam thing with the 'Rents and you and Felix tonight, then his Dad is taking us out to dinner next Saturday, but we don't want to do anything like that until everybody can be together. That means waiting till his Mom's ready too."

"Oh." Monique slumped slightly. "That would have been so cool. Him getting up from the table and asking your father, then getting down on one knee. But that make sense, waiting for his mother. Not like the two of you are rushing to the alter anyway."

"You just want Felix to get a clue, don't you?"

"Nah. I'm fine waiting for him to make up his mind. Besides, who knows what's going to happen with the two of us apart. I want to see if we can make it that way before we make that kind of commitment."

"We do have one more 'dress-up' date night before we leave on our trip. Maybe he'll propose in private first, though it'll be tough keeping it all under wraps until we can do it officially-officially."

With a sly grin, Monique said, "Maybe he'll do it when you're at some place romantic on your trip. Maybe he'll use that as a prelude for something more than just a little base action."

Kim blushed slightly. "That would be…nice. I don't think Daddy sees much difference in us, even though I am eighteen now, but I think I'm ready. It's just…I don't want to force that on Ron if he's not, know what I mean?"

"How could he not be ready. If you just say the word, he'll be there."

She shook her head, sitting down on the bench outside Club Banana's dressing room. "To me, that's just like forcing him. I don't know, do you think, after all this time I'm still weirding him out somehow?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's like this. Sure, he plans some really spankin dates sometimes, but most of the time, when it comes to making out, I'm the one leading the way. When I started with that 'hands-on' action, I'm the one who made him do that. When we kiss, I'm usually the one who starts. I just think, maybe, that if I lead the way _that way_ he's just going to go along because that's what I want. I don't even know if it would work to ask him if he's really ready, cause if I did, he'd just take that to mean I wanted to."

"Kim, don't take this the wrong way, but you're the one thinking too much now. I'm willing to bet he feels the exact same way about you and he has as much respect for you as he has love for you. If you're just going to sit and wait until he's the one making the move, you'll probably end up a spinster."

Monique rang up the dress and went in the back room to clock out. They headed for the food court, more out of habit than any need for food since it wasn't quite lunch time yet. They both got smoothies and staked out their usual seats, well away from the Pizza place, which was rumored to serve the previous evenings leftovers as 'by-the-slice.' Neither of them had any desire to bite into a wedge and find something growing under the cheese that would better serve penicillin production.

"So, Monique. How did it happen with you and Felix? Was he the one, or was it you?"

Her friend was fair-skinned enough to tell she was actually blushing. "Well, we were already doing other fun stuff. We were kind of talking dirty to each other then I asked him if we even could. So we started trying to figure it out and one thing led to another and we kinda…did."

'Who made the first move then?"

"Guess that'd have to be me. Don't worry about it. Maybe, you know, you want even know how it started, you'll just… go for it." She took a long draught of her smoothie. "Maybe it'll be as simple as one of you losing control on night and badda-bing."

Kim slumped down on her fist. "That's what bothers me. I don't like being out of control."

Monique rolled her eyes in a big way. "That's the problem. It's not something you can or should control…unless you have to. I can just see it now, you planning everything right down to the last detail, after you figure out some way to tell Ron's ready to go without it being because you are. You'll have the room, you'll have the lingerie, you'll have the candles lit and rose petals on the bed. Then you'll both get so worked up…"

She pulled the straw out of her drink and held it level. Then she let it droop.

The effect was certainly not lost on Kim.

"See, that's why I was saving myself for love, not for marriage. I'd hate to be on my wedding night and either have my man unable, or too quick on the draw. Plus, by then, he's really, really going to know exactly what he's doing. We can have all that romantic stuff and the main event too."

Kim absently sipped at her pink concoction. "That thought did occur to me. It does sound so romantic to wait for the wedding night, but that's so, so far off right now. Heck, this last week dragged by and now the next one's going to drag too, since it's possible maybe next week after we have dinner with Gene."

"Gene? You're on a first name basis with Ron's Dad?"

"Yeah. It's funny, when I'm talking to him, I always start to say Mister Stoppable, and he corrects me, yet when I'm not with him, I'm always calling him Gene or just Ron's Dad, or something like that. It's going to get so confusing when Ron and I do tie the knot, since we both call our Dads…Dad."

Monique waved her straw around before putting it back in her drink. "Dunno, but I bet Ron's gonna go to his grave calling your Dad Mr. Dr. P."

"Tell me about it, though I'm willing to bet Mom won't let him keep calling her Dr. P. I'm surprised she hasn't started correcting him already like his folks are me."

Her friend polished off her drink with an audible slurp. "You know, you need to be careful this week. You need to be especially careful with that little number." She pointed at the Club Banana bag on the floor.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you're officially dating 'jailbait'."

"Nuh uh."

"Uh huh. Knock boots with a seventeen year old…" Monique's grin was huge. "You know I'm playin' you girl. I still say you just need to go for it."

"I will, when it's time." Kim slurped the last of her own drink, picturing Ron with his arms around her…

…slowly unzipping the little pink confection in her bag.

* * *

The Stoppable's synagogue was sufficiently far from where they lived to afford father and son some time just to talk as they drove home later that morning.

"Are you going to ask her tonight, Ronald?"

"Huh? Ask her what?"

Gene rolled his eyes slightly. "You know, why we went to see Mister Ruby as his jewelry store?"

"Oh! Oh that! No, not quite yet." Ron suddenly found himself watching the road in front of them very carefully, not quite looking at his Dad.

"You're not having second thought, are you?"

"No, no. Nothing like that." He kept his eyes resolutely forward.

"It sure would be a nice opportunity. You know how her father is."

Ron laughed slightly, scratching his scalp under his yarmulke. "I think if I popped the question out of the blue tonight he'd have me on the first rocket to Cygnus within the hour."

"If James doesn't know this is coming, he's more absent-minded than I thought. Really, son, there's nothing wrong with standing on tradition. You should ask him for her hand. It's not like he's going to say no."

"Dad, I really don't know that. I mean, I really love Kim. I really, really love her. But, I dunno, sometimes it really gets hammered home just how young we really are. I know you and Mom are behind us one hundred percent, but I think Mr. Dr. P was like twenty two when he proposed to Mrs. Dr. P, and then they were engaged for like thee years before they got married."

"So, how's that different? You're just about eighteen, but you'll be twenty-one by the time it happens. That's almost four years and as long as you kids have been together, and I don't just mean together, together, I mean you've had almost a whole life together already, that's plenty long to wait in my book."

"I just hope Mr. Dr. P sees it that way too. But that's not really the reason we were going to hold off."

"Oh." Gene was suddenly very interested. "You think maybe if you're waiting to ask her, er, that you'd have had that much more money to take on your trip if you'd waited and saved your money for the ring later."

"No, no Dad. I'm still going to ask her. It's just, I want to ask her when it's just the two of us. We can do the family thing later, especially when Mom can be there, but for right now I want it to be just me and Kim. I'm going to take her some place nice, all dressed to the nines and do it right. I've even got this silly little thing scripted out with the waiters. They'll bring out our salads and I'll ask her if she wants more carats on it, and then I'll pull out the box and propose."

Gene almost had to pull over, his belly was shaking so hard from laughter. "You know something, Son? You really are a chip off the old block. That's precisely how I proposed to your mother."

Ron was honestly surprised. "Really? You never told me about that."

"You never asked. I took her to a nice Italian place called Rotelli's in downtown Denver…it's not there any more, by the way. I did the same thing, though it sounded really weird since she ordered the soup instead of the salad. She still said it was perfect, since she got the 'wedding bell' soup."

"Huh." Both Stoppables were grinning from ear to ear.

"So, Ronald, if not tonight, then when?"

Ron looked at his father, whose face had once again become as implacable as ever. "Saturday after next. I was thinking about waiting until we're on the trip, but who knows where we'll end up. I don't want to propose to her in front of the Biggest Ball of Twin in the World or something like that. I want it to be special and romantic and stuff. We might get to the end of our trip and never get the right moment, especially since I'm also going to ask Kim to wait until we're married for other stuff."

Gene found himself unsure of his driving once more. "You mean to tell me, after all this time, after all those days you got to spend alone in our house, you two haven't…"

Ron shook his head firmly. "Nope. Not that we haven't tried a couple times. Well, more than a couple, but I got to thinking, since we've been together this long maybe it'll be good to wait a little while longer. That is if Kim agrees with me."

"You mean you haven't talked about that?"

"Not in such general terms. We ended up deciding not to decide anything until we turned eighteen. Well, now that's here, at least for Kim."

His Dad had to think for a couple minutes how to go on. "What if she doesn't want to wait?"

"Then we don't. I think she will, but you never know."

"A word of advice, son. I would ease into this, if you know what I mean. Kim is a wonderful girl and all, but she likes to be the boss. If that's what you want, then you have to be careful she doesn't think you're trying to give the orders."

"You got that right, Dad."

Gene laughed a little to himself. "You know, when you and I first had the talk."

"Oh, come on, Dad, don't remind me."

"It's just, back then I thought the best advice I had was not to ever force yourself on a young lady. Now I'm telling you just the opposite. It's a strange, modern world we live in today, son."

Ron looked heavenward as the pulled onto Kim's street, finding he really had to agree…

…and also finding it odd he no longer was completely freaked out about talking to his father about those things.

* * *

Anne opened the oven to check on the layers for Ron's cake. Kim's was in the freezer, having been picked up from the ice-cream store earlier that morning. In a few minutes she would bring them out to cool, while she mixed up a batch of icing for the red velvet cake she was preparing him.

She was finding it hard to concentrate, picturing in her mind what must be happening that night. Ron standing up, banging on an empty glass, then asking James if he could marry Kim. She would have to have a very firm hand on him that evening, just in case he had the notion to be a butt-head about it. The answer was for Kim and Kim alone to give. At about a quarter past nine that evening she would be fully eighteen and her own woman.

Anne Possible was already planning to start telling that boy to call her Mom.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	21. Part XXI

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XXI – Kim's Birthday - Afternoon**

* * *

Motor Ed was cranked. Of all the places in the United States he could be released from prison (this time) why did it have to be Middleton? Not only that, why did he have to report to a little weasel who was himself once a convicted felon?

Hank Perkins may have been ceremoniously disbarred when he was captured by Kim Possible, her two brothers and Ron Stoppable, but he still was qualified to work as a parole officer. When Ed found out about that, he figured getting a crack at "Red" was going to be cake. Turned out all Perkins wanted to do was punch his time card and go home. That meant he was just going to run things by the book, do the absolute minimum and sign off on it.

No matter. Not like Edward Lipsky, better-known-as Motor Ed was going to be hanging around here long enough to complete his parole anyhow. Settle up with Red and her skinny bro (she was actually dating that dude?) and he was going to high-tail it back to Jersey, as far away from Aunt Gertrude as possible.

Normally speaking, Ed wasn't the type for out and out revenge. He'd far rather start building stuff again, so he could go back to his hobby of crushing stuff until the whole world was one big, rockin' scrap yard. Only this time the affront was so heinous, so wrong, he had to do something about it. Red was going to pay, oh was she going to pay.

In prison, they cut off most of his hair.

Did they send him to that special prison like they did cousin Drew? No. For some reason he didn't rate that like his blue hued relative or that babe with the green magic. At least there, his individuality would have been respected. As far as he knew, Drew still had his baby mullet, or at least he did the last time he saw him on TV, waiting for his trial.

He ended up being even angrier when he found out almost all of his gang was still in prison back in Jersey. He was going to have to do this himself.

It was a good thing there was only one Possible family in the phone book.

He scratched the back of his head. The hair back there was only about an inch long, nothing like the glorious mane he had before Red sent him up the river.

"Nobody messes with the mullet!" He growled, shaking his fist in the general direction of the Possible home.

* * *

Oh how quickly people forgot. There was a time when Adrena Lynn couldn't walk down the street without several people chanting "Whaaaaaaat…will she do next!" Now she no longer even turned any heads. What was worse was that nobody seemed to recognize her name, let alone her face.

Two and a half years had passed since Kim Possible exposed her faked bungee jump stunt. Twenty six months deprived of her source of income and even her very freedom all because of that _freaky_ little flame-haired hussy.

Maybe it was the fact she didn't look a whole lot like she used to. After serving two years for kidnapping (the attempted murder charges didn't stick) her hair had grown out to its natural dirty-dishwater blonde and she didn't have the same ultra-slender physique any more. Oh, she hadn't gone to pot. Now she had the muscles to back up her bravado.

She spent the time in a regular prison, and not a juvenile camp, because it turned out her stunts weren't the only thing she faked. Her name was changed, her hair color was fake and even her age was a fabrication. Seventeen year old Adrena Lynn was actually Twenty-three year old Lynne Adrian when she kidnapped Brick Flagg.

Fortunately, while she was incarcerated, she had access to the internet. While digging for information on her nemesis she found something very interesting.

There was a site called _KP – Countdown_.

Just like with those homely little twins who used to star on that sappy sitcom, somebody had set up a countdown clock for when the great Kim Possible was going to turn eighteen. She logged onto it that very morning, smiling gleefully.

There was a huge banner there; _WOO HOO, SHE'S LEGAL!_

Kim was going to get a very special birthday present that day.

* * *

Adrena Lynn wasn't the only person who could use the internet to her advantage. The Knights of Rhodagan were very aware of the significance of that particular Saturday. They too had a score to settle with the crime-fighting redhead. Wallace the Third may have renounced his claim to the throne of their postage stamp size nation, but it was going to be a long time before his father retired, transforming the little European monarchy into a Constitutional Democracy.

In all honesty, they couldn't care less that it was her birthday. That was only a coincidence that some of them found amusingly ironic. What made all of them happy was the amount of useful information they found posted about the teen hero. Beyond her birth date, there were all kinds of tidbits about her, enough to form a complete dossier on her without ever raising any kind of suspicion. If they had used their hackers to pry further, they would have sent up all kinds of red flags. Instead, they were compiling data that would have done the most clever of stalkers proud. It was just amazing that a person in such a high-profile public position could be found using the simplest of basic directories. It was a wonder every villain on the planet she ever tangled with wasn't descending on her home on a daily basis. It was almost as if her enemies were honoring some sort of unspoken safe-zone.

This time they were taking no chances. Instead of just sending two of their operatives, they were sending a full team of six. This time there would be no escape from their wrath.

* * *

What most people don't know about the virtual world was how easy it was to watch people. Not just the ease entities like Rhodagan Industries found Kim's home address, but how easy it was to watch for people who gather exactly that sort of information. There were several simple ways of doing it. Simple counters placed in data banks, key word flags, as well as a whole host of others. There were even more esoteric means, especially where known miscreants were involved.

All of that was as simple as breathing to Wade Load. He was more than just a source of technical wonders and handy tactical information for Kim and her team. He was also a sentinel who protected her from many sources of harm she never knew about. While some of her enemies were simply too stupid to take the fight to her in her home (take Drakken for instance,) that was not always the case.

Fortunately, there were several lines of defense.

He was a little surprised when so many warnings popped up at once, though the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Kim would likely break every bone in his body if she knew he was the one who secretly put up the _KP-Countdown_ site. It was in reality a snare meant to bring all kinds of perverts and other dangerous types to light. One didn't get any special attention just logging onto it, but if you started visiting other databases, et cetera, a special logarithm would determine that a threat existed.

It all came down to the simple questions of Who? What? Where? When and How?

Certain threats called for certain responses. All of it could be handled automatically by his systems, but he preferred a more personal touch where certain entities were involved. He had to act quickly. If he wasn't ready to go to the Possibles home at the right time, it was likely both his Mom and Kim would come into his room and bodily drag him there. Such was the price he had to pay when he left his room to deal with Team Impossible. He proved he could indeed function beyond the walls of his little sanctum and none of them were ever going to allow him to shut himself off from the real world like that again.

No problem. It did feel good to get out of his room every once and a while.

As with anything he did from his control center, all it took was a few keystrokes to set everything into motion. That done, he went to his closet to change into a nice shirt and slacks. Kim's Mom had called his and informed her the party was going to be dressy casual. That was a little surprising to him, considering most of her birthday parties he ever attended (via the Kimmunicator) were very, very casual events. Only her sixteenth was any different. Granted, Kim's parents always dressed conservatively nice, even in what they would deem to be casual, but asking Felix, Monique and especially Ron to dress up a little for the event? That was kind of strange.

At least he knew how Kim would be dressing. A quick check of her account showed the debit for Club Banana and it didn't take him any effort at all to match the transaction up with a record of the pink dress being purchased from inventory. He approved; Kim always looked great in pink.

Fully dressed, he checked his system one more time. Everything was as it should be. With a deep breath, he reached for the knob of his bedroom door. Already he was feeling the pull of his many terminals. They were his friends and they did not like for him to leave them alone. Well, it was only going to be for a few short hours, then he would return.

He found it fun to actually have to catch up on messages when he came back.

* * *

Ron stretched out on the sofa, trying to relax. Every so often he would reach into a bag of cheese puffs and throw one into the air. At first, he tried catching them in his mouth, though it quickly became evident Rufus was going to catch the lion's share of them coming back down. He was just a little too quick on the draw.

Halfway through the bag, the little guy was starting to show off. He would cut flips, somersault off the back of the couch, use his hind legs to snap the curl in two before grabbing both in his buck-toothed maw, or simply just snatch them out of the air with an audible crunch.

The bag was mostly gone when Ron realized his naked mole rat had eaten almost all of it.

He was a little put out to be banished from the upstairs by his now _adult_ girlfriend. Under the claim her new outfit was going to be a surprise, Monique and her shooed him out of her bedroom, closing and latching the hatch behind him as he fled down the stairs. He stood at the bottom of her steps for a little bit, arguing that so far he had only been able to spend just a few minutes with his bon-diggity lady on her special day, to no avail.

Sadly, he went down to the kitchen to make himself useful there.

Only to be shooed out of there by Mrs. Dr. P, who was getting ready to decorate the cakes.

Feeling like a fifth wheel all of a sudden (on his 'official' if not legal birthday) he ended up sulking in the family room. There wasn't anything worthwhile on TV on Saturday afternoons, save a few baseball games, and those he didn't want to get into unless he could see them start to finish. The same was true for the multitude of movies the Possibles had in their collection. In a couple hours he was going to have to jump back in the shower and change clothes once more. For some odd reason, Kim's Mom had declared the birthday dinner an actual party, inviting Wade, Felix and Monique. Tara and Josh were supposed to be invited as well, but they were out of town, visiting the campus in Kentucky his platinum blonde haired friend would attend that fall.

Bored, he even tried calling Felix to run out and play some video games to burn up the afternoon. With the 'rents in party prep mode, Kim and Monique in girl-talk, dress-up mode and the twins nowhere to be found, there was certainly nothing tying him down to the house until that evening. The party itself wouldn't start until seven, so he had plenty of time to burn quarters over at the Pizza-Shack or some other convenient purveyor of computer generated gamage.

Problem was, his wheelchair bound friend was completely incommunicado. That in itself wasn't cause for any kind of concern. If he wasn't home, the only way to reach him was his cell phone, and if that was off for some reason, well, that was it, he couldn't be reached.

Scowling, he reached into the bag and pulled out all the remaining puffs, throwing them all into the air at once. In a startling display of speed and precision, Rufus managed to snag every last bit of it. Not a single crumb hit the floor. He then tilted the bag up and got the little clumps of hardened cheese-like material out of the bottom.

He was about to go to his room and read the latest message board posts on his computer when his Kimmunicator went off. For a short while he tried calling it bay other names, but Ronnunicator just sounded strange and simply calling it a communicator sounded like he was carrying an outdated prop from _Space Passage: The Original Series_. So, in the end, he simply called it by the same name Kim always did. Jim and Tim were lucky, their names had the same IM that Kim's did, making Timmunicator (molded in red) and a Jimmunicator (molded in green) sound decent.

"Yo, Wade, What up? You're not trying to flake on tonight, are you?"

"Wouldn't dream of it." The tech guru answered quickly. "You up for a quick solo?"

"Depends. What've you got in mind?"

"I think you'll like this one."

* * *

Motor Ed bellowed in rage at the two small shapes harassing him. He had just broken into a garage not half a mile from Kim's home, hoping to find something he could quickly turn into a raging vehicle of doom. Instead he was confronted by two boys who could barely be called teenagers. Strangely enough, they were dressed up just like Red, save for their shirts being tucked into their olive cargo pants. Even in the melee, he could see the family resemblance. They had to be Red's little brothers.

"He sure doesn't look like the picture in Kim's file." One of them said.

"Yeah, he looks a lot more like that guy on that motorcycle building show!" the other responded as they raced around him.

"Oh man, that's rank! Seriously. I do not look like that dude!"

"Seriously?" One of them laughed as he slid between his legs. Ed bent almost double trying to catch him.

"Seriously." The other said as he slammed an engine block on a chain into the large man.

Ed went down hard. Moments later he could feel his hands being pulled behind his back. Unfortunately, he was too dazed to offer any more resistance.

As the police rolled up, one of them smiled and said. "Got a message from our sister."

"Quit calling her 'Red.'" The other continued.

"Seriously!" They chorused, laughing their heads off as they left him to the tender mercies of the Middleton Police Department.

* * *

A delivery van slowly made its way down a winding mountain road that led into the suburbs of Middleton. Six sets of eyes watched the road intently. Soon they would reach their deployment site and abandon the rented vehicle, intent on doing much bodily harm on a certain former cheerleader. A couple of them started an exchange in a language that was not English or the ancient language of their land (which pretty much spoke the former in this modern age.) They bared their teeth and pounded there breasts, which were clad in composite armor made to look like renaissance plate-mail.

"To revenge!" One of them proclaimed, holding his hand up as if he held a cup of wine.

"To revenge!" The other responded. "A dish best served cold!" They smashed their hands together and mimicked drinking from their pretended flagons.

The driver of the van simply rolled his eyes. That was the last time he was going to let them bring along laptops with DVD players on a mission. There was only so much of the boxed set of _Space Passage: Deep Space Eight _he could take.

Looking in his rearview mirror, a deep from crossed his broad face. "We've got company." He announced to the rest of his team.

He slowed the van, pulling over to the side. Moments later, a police officer wearing a tactical vest approached the driver's side window. The rental lacked any kind of power accessories, so he was forced to crank it down by hand.

"I need to see your license and registration, Please." The officer asked in a mild Irish brogue.

"Is there a problem, Officer?" The driver asked as evenly as possible. He handed over his passport and the rental agreement.

"You have a malfunctioning tail light." He scanned the documents, then looked inside the van. His eyebrows went up momentarily. Sure, Officer Hobble was used to seeing some strange things in Middleton, especially where Kim Possible was concerned, but it wasn't every day you saw a deliver van full of armored knights.

"I suppose you are all on your way to a costume party?"

The driver smiled warmly. "We've been hired as entertainment for a birthday party."

Hobble eyed him suspiciously. "You've come all the way from someplace called…Rhodagan? Just to do some cheap dog and pony show? I find that hard to believe."

The driver gestured at the rest of his team. "In our field, it pays to specialize."

"I see. Step out of the vehicle, please. All of you."

Moments later, all six knights were lined up. It was beginning to occur to Hobble that every single one of them was considerably larger than him and were armed with very real looking medieval weapons.

At about that moment, the same thought started occurring to them. Hobble wondered if following up on the tip he had received that a group of foreign enforcers were planning to attack the Possibles was wise.

It wouldn't have been if he didn't have backup. Just as the first few started reaching for their weapons, a large aircraft suddenly rose from below the edge of the road. It was dark red and black and boasted what looked like considerable weaponry.

"I think the six of you need to come downtown with me. Oh, and I would appreciate it if you left the weapons in the van. I have seen for myself what those nasty things can do to a mini-golf course.

* * *

Adrena Lynn spitted and fumed as she was tied up by the familiar blonde boy. Of course he was a little taller and a little better filled out than he had been the last time she saw him, but when he appeared right as she was about to leave her hiding place and surprise Kim Possible, she didn't think he posed much of a threat, especially since she was able to subdue him and tie him to a whirling dervish ride the last time.

"Wow, prison does a body good." He said, admiring her bare, muscular arms.

Her dark eyes glared daggers at him. "When I get out next time, I'm going to make sure to take out both you and that freaky cheerleader!"

"Looks like the Rondo came to play this time. I'm bad, you sad, uh huh." He chanted, walking away, leaving the one-time TV star to stew until the authorities arrived.

"Uh huh." Squeaked the little animal riding in his cargo shorts pocket. Ron hadn't even bothered changing into mission gear. He shook his head as he hit the sidewalk, heading back toward home.

He hadn't even broken a sweat.

* * *

Kim looked at herself in the mirror. She had the dress on with a pair of white shoes, twirling around a few times, trying to determine exactly how fast she could turn without giving everyone around her a show.

Monique trudged up the stairs and sat down at her computer center, straddling the back of the chair. "No sign of the boys." She reported.

Kim looked confused. "Ron too?"

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to run him off this afternoon. Maybe he's just hitting the neighborhood video games with Felix."

Tightening the scrunchie, Kim twirled her ponytail around a little bit. "Too much?"

Monique turned up her nose. "Eh, better go with the full hair look tonight. Ron likes it that way anyhow."

"Yeah." She pulled the scrunchie off and let her whole crimson waterfall spill down her back. Before long she was going to have to see a hairdresser, if for nothing more than to take care of some split ends, but her mane was now starting to reach for her backside. She hadn't had it cut at all since her Junior Prom over fourteen months earlier. The length in the back was fine, but she was still having to deal with that one thick lock that like drooping down over the bridge of her nose.

Running her fingers through her hair one more time, she turned to her friend. "Think he'll like it?"

"Oh, I know he'd going to like it. What I don't know is how much cotton wadding to take down there to control his nosebleed."

They could hear voices downstairs. One clearly belonged to Ron, while the others sounded like the twins and possibly Felix.

"Showtime." Kim skipped to the hatch, barely floating over her carpet.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	22. Part XXII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XXII – Kim's Birthday - Evening**

* * *

Kim didn't feel any different. At exactly nine seventeen, earlier that evening, Kim was technically, legally and officially eighteen. Somehow she had always expected some magical doorway to open, granting her the vast wisdom that comes with adulthood. That hadn't happened. She was still her same old self. Fortunately, she had been considering herself mature enough to be an adult for some time.

Instead, when that particular moment rolled by and her Mom made her usual pronouncement to everyone gathered that was the moment she had been born, followed immediately by a quick recounting of the ten hours she was in labor with her. Even after hearing the same thing every year for the past decade (not counting last year, since she had been away on a mission on her seventeenth birthday,) Kim was still embarrassed, especially since her best friends after Ron plus his Dad were there to hear it as well.

She rested her chin on Ron's bare stomach, staring up at his face. He was sprawled on his back, diagonally across her bed with his head propped up on a couple pillows. Every so often she would hear a slight snore escape his lips. Kim managed to unbutton his pajama top without waking him up, something she was sure he would appreciate on that hot summer night, even though the air conditioning was doing a fairly good job of keeping the house reasonably comfortable.

Technically, they weren't supposed to be doing this, but even though it was somewhere around midnight, nobody had shown up at the top of her stairs to chase Ron out of there. Considering how quiet the house was by that point, it seemed likely they were content to leave him there all night long. That suited Kim just fine. In just under two weeks this would be their living arrangements anyway. It wasn't like she was going to promise her father they would always get separate rooms and always use them. In fact, she had no intention at all of renting two rooms, or even specifically asking for two beds. They wouldn't be needed.

Even if her Dad appeared to remind Ron his room was downstairs, she was going to tell him his place was right where he was that night. Just lying there, her head riding the rise and fall of his chest and stomach as he breathed was just so good and right. She never wanted it to end. Very delicately she traced the swirls visible on his faint chest hair. Pretty soon she would have to rouse him and get him properly under the covers for a good night's sleep, but at the moment she was just too comfortable and too lazy to get up and do that. If she fell asleep like that she would pay for it in the morning with a stiff neck, but that was the furthest thing from her mind.

The "party" had broken up a couple hours ago. Wade went on home and Felix and Monique left, though it wasn't likely they were going home quite that early on a Saturday night. Kim ran up to her room and changed into the long t-shirt she had been sleeping in lately, and by the time she got back downstairs, Ron was already in short pajamas, flipping through channels on the TV.

What a strange get-together that had been, especially the way her Mom was acting.

Her Dad, well, he was acting pretty, well, normal…for him. James Possible was the only person on the second floor as she made her way down the steps in to the main house. He took one look at the tiny pink party dress and gave her a look that couldn't possibly be mistaken for anything other than 'no way, uh, uh, forget it.' Just to be on the safe side, she went upstairs and added a shirt, white mini-jacket to cover her shoulders. That seemed to meet with his approval, while still allowing her to ditch the cover-up when she needed to while she was out.

Maybe her family birthday dinner wasn't quite the place to debut a party dress that was meant to knock Ron's socks (and potentially other articles of clothing) off. She was definitely going to pack it, along with a new teeny bikini, the white one that she would only wear in private and some other bits of clothing that bordered on naughty.

Kim's mental image of how things would proceed on their trip had definitely taken a particular turn. She saw the two of them in a nice room like the one they had stayed in on her last birthday, with a nice, comfortable but plain bed and nobody else in the house threatening to come separate them. Of course, she really was aware of the reality. There was every chance they would end up in rooms that the best thing that could be said about them was they were clean. (If not even that, they would most def be sleeping in the reclining front seats of her car!) Logic aside, the two images just would not reconcile. Fantasy and reality did not collide, at least not quite yet.

When Kim got downstairs in her partially covered new dress, he grand entrance was spoiled. He mother was still in the kitchen getting everything ready. Gene Stoppable and Felix were in the formal living room chatting quietly. Jim and Tim were trying to get a peek at the cakes and Ron was nowhere to be seen. Apparently he had come in from somewhere and headed straight to his room to change.

She sat down at the dining room table and grumped. So far the only reaction she had gotten was a look that sent her upstairs to put more on. Even Monique had peeled off, called to the kitchen to help with some task. Kim knew better than to attempt anything other than carrying food to the table during dinner parties, and even that was denied to her that night, as well as Ron's cooking. The party was for the two of them and since they were the 'guests of honor' they weren't going to do any of the preparation.

Oddly enough, she found herself sitting at the empty table, quietly singing _It's My Party_ to herself, though she didn't know any more than just the hook.

Her Mom came out of the kitchen and spotted her at the table. "Wow, Kim, you certainly look special tonight." She looked her daughter up and down, then ran into the Family Room, returning with a digital camera. Before she could even start snapping pictures of her, she looked appraisingly at her face.

Kim's eyes went wide as he mother licked her thumb and rubbed something on her forehead. "Mom!" she squealed. She hadn't done something like that since she was, like, thirteen!

"Just a little smudge in your makeup, Kimmie. Now smile." She picked up the camera and took a couple shots, with Kim fighting down the urge the whole time to go running back up the stairs and re-check her face.

"Now, why don't you go into the living room and keep Gene and Felix company while Monique and I set the table." Anne used her 'mother's soft command' voice that made it sound like a suggestion but actually meant "That's an order, soldier, hup, hup, hup!"

Ron's Dad was watching with keen interest as Felix demonstrated his mastery with the chair's robotic systems. He had taken the wax apple, orange and pear from the decorative fruit bowl and was juggling them in the air using only the serpentine robotic arms. It was a neat trick, though it was kind of spoiled for her knowing it was a pre-programmed routine instead of conscious direct control. Still, it was visually very impressive, especially since juggling was something she had never attempted herself.

Felix shut down the routine as she entered the room. Both of them just stood there looking at her for a moment.

"Happy Birthday!" Gene offered finally. "You look absolutely stunning, Kimberly!"

"Thank you Mr.…" She stopped a moment when he cocked his head at her. "…Gene."

"One of these first days I'm going to break you of that habit, Kimberly. Probably about the time I start insisting you call me Dad."

Kim blushed brightly. It was no secret Ron's parents were behind their future plans one hundred percent. Well, not so much, they wanted the two of them to tying the knot even sooner than they wanted to. Sometimes she wondered if they felt that way because they wanted what was best for Ron, or simply wanted him married off and out of the house. Even a year ago she would have thought the latter, but now she had grown to know them better and it was becoming clear the former was true. That, and they had an even bigger desire for grandchildren than her own mother had.

It struck her that, given all the time she had spent with Ron since they got together, just how little they actually talked about children. All of a sudden she felt a lot younger, a lot less mature than she had been leading herself to believe. Her relationship was all about him, though there was never any doubt in her mind they would eventually raise a family together. As distant as their nuptials seemed, being pregnant, giving birth and caring for a child seemed impossibly far away. They hadn't even brought up what size family each of them wanted. Going steady with, getting engaged to and marrying Ron was an end unto itself.

That thought made her frown slightly, even though the small talk was all about simple, happy things. How radically would having a child alter her life? Would she even be able to continue her world-saving/people helping hero business when that happened? Or would she have to turn it over to her little brothers for good? What if she had a hard time of things like Ron's mother was? There was the issue of her having a rather small frame and her 'female' doctor had mentioned the likelihood of her requiring a c-section, just to be on the safe side.

What did Ron want? His own extended family was huge. Was he going to be under pressure from not only his Mom, but aunts and uncles to raise a large family quickly? Would that pressure even matter to him? Kim could see herself eventually having two or three kids. Another thing she didn't know about was when. Was it selfish for her to want to wait until at least her late twenties to start? She wanted to spend some time with Ron and just him. It just wasn't time to share him, at least not quite yet.

Her train of thought was broken when her Mom dashed through the room, the camera in hand once more. That in itself was odd. Usually it was her Dad who would burn up several rolls of film (another good reason for them to switch to digital.)

"Hold on, need to put fresh batteries in…okay." She heard from the hallway. The flash went off several times, then she dashed right back to the kitchen. Some of the smells coming from the food preparation area were wonderful, making her think Ron might have had something to do with it anyway.

"Okay, James, I'm depending on you." She heard her Mom say. "High flame, six minutes up, six minutes down. Don't you dare try turning them any more than that and don't add anything to them, got it?"

"I know how to grill, dear. Trust me."

"I do, but if I catch you trying anything fancy, I'm sending Ron out there, understand?"

"Yes, dear."

Kim smiled, her worried thoughts of the future replaced with memories of her father trying to be the ultimate grill master. Even with such explicit instructions, she was sure her Mom was still going to have to supervise him some. It was clear that her cooking skills came from her father, and it wasn't something that ran on his side of the family. Uncle Slim was a fantastic cook and Nana Possible was a master of lemon squares and deep fried chicken (to the point Kim actually couldn't stand fast-food chicken.)

She turned back and discovered what her Mom suddenly had to take pictures of. Ron was wearing a peach colored short sleeve dress shirt and freshly pressed khakis. Generally speaking, he didn't look any different than he did on any ordinary Saturday, so why her Mom was making such a big fuss was beyond her.

At that very moment, however, Ron only had eyes for a certain newly adult woman who was having to be certain to keep her legs a certain way because of the length of her dress.

"Wow, KP! I mean WOW!" He was apparently having trouble controlling his jaw, as if it wouldn't willfully close.

She shifted her knees from one side to the other, smiling demurely. "You like?"

"That dress is probably illegal on some states." Felix said, prompting a sharp glance from Kim.

"I think she looks absolutely beautiful." Gene commented, smiling smugly from the couch.

"Bon-diggity, badical beautiful." Ron agreed. Reacquiring some of his motor skills, he started across the room to his girlfriend, tripping on the edge of the cocktail table and nearly falling on his face. As it was he did land on his right knee, hard.

"Oh my God!" They turned their heads at the panicked exclamation coming from the kitchen. Moments later the camera flashed four or five times in rapid succession.

"Mom?" Kim put her hand on her hips, glaring at her mother. "We've got plenty of family pictures with Ron doing a pratfall. We don't need any more."

"Oh, sorry, my bad, _mea culpa_ and all that." She smiled sheepishly and darted back into the kitchen. "James, you better not be turning those steaks any more! Three more minutes and you bring them in, nothing else, you got that?"

"What was that about?" Ron asked, sitting down between Kim and his Dad.

Gene put a hand on his son's knee. "I think when that picture comes out, you'll see, son."

Kim leaned past Ron and looked at his father. "Huh?"

Laughing softly, the elder Stoppable got up. "You'll see, you'll see." He wandered into the dining room to stake out a prime spot at the table.

"Huh?" both of them repeated.

"I ain't sayin' nothin'." Felix said, rolling after the older man.

"Okay Kids, steaks are on." Anne called from the dining room.

Her Dad managed to avoid burning the steaks, though they were just a tad past the medium rare she was used to. Dinner was still delicious. Her Mom used Ron's special seasoning mix on the meat and fixed garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus to go with it. Somehow they got through the meal without the twins trying to take 'asparagus spears' to a whole new level (and after much coaxing, they actually ate theirs too.)

The camera managed to remain silent throughout the meal, at least until the cakes came out. That, at least, was normal, though for some reason her Mom was watching Ron like a hawk the whole time, especially after the singing of Happy Birthday and the mass consumption of red velvet and fudge ripple ice cream cakes.

Even when they adjourned into the family room for gifts, she kept on staring at hi as much as she could. It wasn't a suspicious stare, it was like she was expecting something. She was grinning like a little school girl and aliens in space could tell she had bright, shining blue eyes.

Monique gave her two sweatshirts, one with the Middleton College logo on it, the other with Duke University's mascot, the Blue Devil. That was precisely the same thing Kim had given her when she turned eighteen last fall, right after she was accepted to the popular North Carolina school. Right along those lines, Felix gave Ron just about the same thing, though the other shirt had a slightly naughty theme involving M.I.T. that made him blush considering he was right in front of Kim's parents and his Dad.

The other couple flip-flopped on their other gifts. Felix gave Kim a leather carrying case for her Kimmunicator, while Monique gave the same thing to Ron. It was made to clip on their belt so they wouldn't have to dig around in their pockets every time they went off.

They went around the room until it came time for Ron and Kim to give each other gifts. Kim noticed her Mom getting into an absolute frenzy as she handed Ron a carefully wrapped box. The camera went off several times as he opened a set of silk boxers. In keeping with what she intended to become a birthday tradition and their decision not to spend a lot on gifts, she gave him exactly the same thing she had the year before, only this time in a nice teal with purple polka dots.

Kim glanced around. There was no gift for her in sight. Then Ron did something unexpected.

He got up from his seat, dropping to a knee in front of Kim. The camera started going off like it was taking a movie instead of a set of stills. In that moment she knew what her mother was expecting. She knew, she always knew, especially with this sort of thing. She had spent the entire day knowing this was about to happen. It wasn't what she had envisioned, but it was absolutely perfect, with all the family gathered there with them save Ron's Mom.

Then he reached under her chair and pulled out the box he had hidden there earlier.

It was big, way to big to be what she was expecting by then. It looked rather like a shoe box. Ron got back up, sitting down on the couch across from her and handed it to her.

"Happy Birthday, KP."

Forcing a smile, she ripped the paper off the box. It was indeed a shoebox, with a brand new pair of white running sneakers. They were the type they had been looking at before and they were way more expensive than they were supposed to be. She gave him a fake dirty look, then leaned over and gave him a nice 'family' kiss. Looking him in the eye, she gave him a much better kiss, and another following that.

Slowly it was dawning on her that her mother's expectations were rubbing off on her. After all, this isn't what they planned. They really didn't want to do the family thing until his Mom could be there too after all. Her heart slowed down and she started getting back into the fun of the evening.

It broke her heart seeing the look of disappointment on her mother's face. She would probably have to talk to her, perhaps in the morning about it. It really was too soon. They might have been celebrating Ron's birthday that night as well, but his was still legally a week off.

She opened her eyes, realizing she had dozed off using Ron's stomach as a pillow. He hadn't moved, but now all the lights were off downstairs. It looked like they were being left alone in her room for the night, especially since it was now technically Sunday morning and had been for about an hour.

Carefully getting up so she wouldn't disturb Ron just yet, she walked over and closed her hatch, setting the latch so they wouldn't be disturbed. There was just enough of a combination of starlight and the streetlights filtering into her room to see herself in her dressing mirror. Ron always said that long T-shirt looked good on her, though somehow she wondered if it was just him thinking all she had on under it the first time she wore it was a pair of damp, slightly ripped panties that barely survived a gator bite. Even though she was really only getting ready for sleep, she didn't think it was terribly appropriate for that night. She wanted to be a little closer to Ron than the thick cotton would allow.

Ducking behind her changing screen, just in case Ron was secretly awake, she shucked out of the knee-length shirt and put on the silk nighty she bought for their prom night. It was cool and light as air, though it was completely opaque. It was sexy because of what it suggested, not what it actually showed, though she still carefully folded the T and put it on the nightstand so she could slip it on quickly when her parents came knocking on the door in the morning.

Gently, she put her hands on Ron's cheeks. They were rough since he hadn't shaved since that morning. There was something almost funny about his boyish face feeling much more like a man's. May God let him still look that way, even when he's old and gray.

"Ronnie." She whispered.

"Come, on, Dad P, wanna sleep with Kim tonight." He mumbled, not quite waking up.

"Dad P?" Kim asked in a normal voice.

"Huh, wha?" He sat up, trying to get his bearings.

"Lie down, Baby. Looks like you're mine for tonight. So, what's this, you calling Dad, Dad P now?"

"Oh, did I say that? Sorry, KP, I've just been thinking about what I'm going to call him when we get married. Your Mom too."

Kim pulled back the covers and helped him get under them before climbing in with him.

"I could get used to this." He whispered as she snuggled up next to him.

"Don't push your luck. Mom probably dragged Dad to bed early before he realized you're still up here."

"Er. Think maybe I should go on down to my room?" He sat up slightly until she pulled him back down, wrapping her arm around him and pulling him in for a long kiss.

"Already said you're mine tonight. Even if Daddy comes up here right now I'm just going to tell him no. I want my birthday present."

"Y…you do?"

She kissed him again, pulling the full length of her body up against his. "I want you, all night long." She purred before pushing her lips forcefully back onto his.

"KP, I don't know…" He stuttered slightly as her hands glided over his bare chest.

"Relax, Honey. I mean that I just want to hold you all night for my birthday. We're not going to do that in here…much as I'd like to." She whispered the last as a bare breath in his ear. Resting her head on half of his pillow, she looked him right in the eyes.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" She asked, brushing strands of blonde hair away from his eyes.

"You know, when you say that, you're supposed to sing it like Rod Stewart." He said, stifling a giggle.

Kim sang the line in a breathy half whisper. It was all she could remember of the song at that moment.

"You just did, and I love you too, KP." He returned the favor with that strand of hair drooping over her nose. Another inch and it should start blending in with the rest, though he really thought she was cute with it. "So what was the deal with…Mom P?"

"Funny you should put it like that. Did you notice what you were doing when she kept going nuts?"

"Nuh, uh."

"Both times you were down on one knee, right in front of me." She smiled, letting it sink in. It still took a couple minutes.

"Ohhhhh. She actually thought…?"

"Uh huh. Any idea what might have given her that idea?" She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, smiling softly."

"Not unless she found… uh, no, no idea whatsoever. Guess she just thought it was time, since you're an adult now and all."

Kim closed her eyes and snuggled down onto his shoulder. Maybe that's how her mother figured those things out. Ron had just told her as plain as day he already had the ring. It was clear now her Mom had somehow found it, assuming he was going to pop the question that very night during the party.

Without another word, she went back to kissing him, this time not stopping to talk.

Rufus looked up from his perch on the small table serving as Ron's nightstand. Instantly he knew his humans were going to be like that for some time to come. He always enjoyed sleeping with or near Ron, especially when he was with Kim, but he also knew when it was time to give them their space. When it came to his female human, he was never, ever jealous of the time they wanted to spend alone, so he silently hopped off of the table and headed for the side door. Being, after all, a rat, he could squeeze through any opening he could fit his head through, so the crack under the door was no problem for him.

He happily headed down the stairs, hoping his female human's dame had left some of that red velvet cake out.

* * *

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney 


	23. Part XXIII

**_KP - Countdown : _Part XXIII – The Day Arrives at Last**

* * *

Kim stroked her chin. Once again she was standing in front of her closet, clad only in a bath towel, trying to decide what she was going to wear. It was a special evening, probably more so than any other evening in her short life. She smiled warmly, wrapping her arms around herself as she imagined what the evening would be like.

Her dress selection was down to the 'battle of the first dates.' There was the knee-length, semi-backless cream colored dress she had worn on their first 'official' data after their Junior Prom and there was that little black number she wore on their first 'date' ever. Both had their own 'wow' factor. The black dress was short and clung to every curve, while the looser, lighter dress was very slightly sheer in the right light and was actually slightly more revealing. She would have even liked to wear the new pink dress, but that was already packed for their trip the next morning.

Then too, there was the emotions tied to those dresses. The cream dress rarely made an appearance, considering it leaned a touch to the formal side. It was elegant and beautiful, a perfect counterpoint to the way Ron dressed for that night of dining and dancing and kissing.

The black dress, on the other hand, brought back both good and bad memories. The first time she wore it, she tossed a lemonade stand aside like it was made of straw, then body-slammed because the mood-enhancing chip she was wearing was stuck on rage. Then another time she wore it they ended up stranded in a blizzard with it too cold to even enjoy snuggling.

Then again, she was wearing it when Ron achieved one of his greatest triumphs, successfully setting up a booth at the Middleton Days festival that not only raised the money they needed for the Prom, but ensured his place at Middleton College that fall.

The reality of her infamous 'little black dress' was actually all good. It was there when they had the first inkling of a possibility together. It was there on a night they ended up spending together and it was there for the victory. In the end, nothing bad had ever come of her wearing that particular dress.

"I agree." Her Mom said as she reached for it.

Kim turned around. Her mother was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her intently. "How long have you been sitting there?" It was amazing how the woman could be so quiet in high heels. Then again, she wore them almost constantly, unlike Kim, who preferred flats, sneakers and hiking boots, at least until Ron started getting so much taller than her.

"Long enough. Just a couple minutes, really. Honestly, Kimmie, I think the black one is your best choice."

"You think so, Mom? Ron's taking me to this really, really nice place tonight. I mean, it's so nice, he had to call in a favor to get reservations and all. That's why we're doing our dress-up date on Friday instead of Saturday."

Anne smiled knowingly at her child. "Are you sure it's not because the last two Saturday nights have been taken up with birthday dinners, especially since last week it was just Ron and his Dad?"

"Well, that too, plus I have a sneaking suspicion we'll end up eating on the road tomorrow night. I really want to see Amarillo and it'll take all day just getting there."

Her Mom almost sing-songed the next question. "You sure that's not the only reason the two of you are dressing up tonight?"

Kim glanced back at her mother as she rooted through her underwear drawer. "Mom, you're not going to get all weirded out like you did at my birthday, are you?"

They had a nice, long talk about that after the rest of the family got back from church the next day. Kim and Ron were left sleeping in since she had a habit of sleeping late when she was with him. The whole conversation was a little test of wills, with both women dancing around admitting what they knew, then having a good laugh about how clueless Kim's Dad was about the whole affair.

"Kimmie, I think we both know what tonight is really about. That's why Ron's been spending the day with his parents under the pretense he's just going back to his house to get a suit he didn't bring with him when he moved over here. Think back to that day he spent with his father a few weeks back. That was just like when he went to the tailor with his father for the Prom. At your party, I just thought he was going to include the whole family in it, but that was just me being a little selfish. Tonight is for the two of you."

Kim smiled a little and shrugged. "Maybe tonight's just our private little birthday get-together."

"Oh, I'm quite sure of it. I'm willing to bet he's even bringing you your real birthday present as well." She pointed at the little bit of cotton in Kim's hand. "Don't tell me you're wearing that tonight?"

She looked at the cotton bikini brief in her hand. It was pink and trimmed in lace, with a large red heart printed on it. "Too much?"

Anne grinned evilly at her daughter. "More like not enough. Hasn't your friend Monique taught you anything?"

Kim favored her mother with a strange look, then blushed slightly. "I, uh, kind of packed all of those already."

"I see." Her Mom's expression softened a bit as she leaned back slightly on the bed.

Walking behind the changing screen, Kim started getting dressed. "You don't think we're rushing things…I mean, if that's what Ron's planning tonight?"

"I would if it meant you would be coming home from this trip with a new name."

"Mom!"

"Well, there's nothing stopping the two of you from heading down to Vegas. I know you're still too young to gamble, but that city's famous for other things."

"Ew, so not. The thought of marrying Ron in that sleazy…ugh, no way. When I walk down the aisle, it's either going to be at our church or Ron's synagogue. I'm going to be wearing a white dress…"

"White?"

"MOM! There's no reason whatsoever that I can't wear white!"

"Even after this trip?"

"Ach! I swear, everyone around us seems to have a one-track mind about what Ron and me are doing." She zipped the dress and smoothed it over her hips. "Besides, in the modern world a white wedding dress just means it's a first marriage."

"Don't let your Nana or Grams Credible hear you say that. Or even Aunt June for that matter." She warned.

Kim stuck her nose in the air slightly as she sat down at her dresser. "Well, like I said, there's no reason I can't wear a white dress, by any definition. Anyway, we've already talked about this in general terms. Even if he is going to propose, we're not going through with it until…well…for a few years at least. College is going to be tough enough without being married."

"It's not so bad, Kimmie. I was still in Med school when your father and I got married, you know that. Now, it's not like I'm saying you should get married this young, but just think about what your reasons are." Anne frowned slightly. "Are you certain this isn't because you would be permanently 'off-the-market?'"

Kim turned to her mother with deep shock evident on her face. "No way! I'm with Ron for the long haul, for good. It's just…if we're married that means having to deal with a home and having to hold down a job all while doing some of the hardest school work we've ever done. Throw in the chance that, despite our best efforts, I end up pregnant. I know you were in med school when I was born, I know you had to do your residency with a small child. I just want to get through my four years of college first, then Ron and I can settle down and , you know, start a family."

Anne got up and gave her daughter a fierce hug. "Then I think the two of you are doing exactly the right thing, Kimmie."

Just as she was starting to get feeling back in her arms, Kim went back to putting on her face. "It's not really like I'm 'on the market' like you said. As far as I'm concerned, the moment Ron gives me that ring, I'm just as 'off the market' as if we'd already tied the knot."

"_That_ ring? Sounds to me like a certain young woman already knows some things."

"You're not the only one who can put two and two together, Mom."

"Uh huh." The two women shared a look, saying 'I know you know that I know that Ron already has a ring but I'm not saying it out loud so I'm not the one spoiling it' to each other.

Kim slipped on her red bangles and her strappy high heeled sandals. The only difference from the first time she wore the dress was her emerald earrings and her two necklaces. There was no way she wasn't going to wear those tonight. Smiling, she twisted the stone of her promise ring around her fingers a couple times, a gesture that was definitely not lost on her mother.

She knew what was coming tonight and she hated playing her parents this way, but it was something that was going to be just between them for a while, until they could get the whole of both families together to do it officially. She was ninety-five percent sure he was going to give her a ring that night and not wait until sometime during their trip, but she wasn't going to wear it openly just yet. It would be their little secret for a while.

At least she would wear it during the trip itself! Sure, some tabloid photographer might get a shot of it somehow or another, but she would deal with that when the time came. They had already made some hay over the promise ring, prompting Wade to send out a press release that it was not in fact an engagement ring, that she and Ron were just dating.

Just dating was such a weak term for their relationship. Engaged was going to sound so much better.

Anne walked up to the window, looking at her watch. "That's strange, I would have thought he would be here by now."

Kim wasn't worried. "He's probably having a hard time getting away from his Mom. When I was there the other day, she was extra-huggy. She's been that way for a while."

"You two will be right back if the baby comes early, won't you?"

"I'll call in whatever favor I have to, but I'm confident it'll all be okay. The baby isn't due until a couple weeks after we're back."

"You know, it's taken almost fourteen years, but you're finally going to get your wish." Anne said, still staring out at the driveway. Clingy mother or not, it wasn't like Ron to be late when a date with Kim was involved, especially a date like this one. She checked his room earlier. The ring box was gone, and even a more detailed 'Mom' search of the room hadn't turned it up.

"What wish?" Kim tested her weight on the thick-soled footwear. How she managed to chase Ron clear across downtown with them, she didn't have a clue. Maybe that's why she had such a hard time catching him.

"For a little sister." She turned back toward the room. "Though I think you're going to be a lot more like an aunt than anything else."

"I guess. Can you imagine Dad if the Tweebs were girls?"

Anne rolled her eyes. "I don't think he would have survived. We're just lucky he likes Ron so well, and even so, his blood pressure still gets spiked from time to time, like when he realized Ron was with you the morning after your birthday."

"I was wondering about that. He did seem to be giving Ron the hairy eyeball the rest of the day."

Her mother noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "Who do you know that drives a sky blue Mustang?"

"What?" Even though she didn't want to be spotted through her window, Kim rushed up beside her mother. Sure enough, a spankin new cerulean Ford was pulling up to the curb. Her jaw about hit the window sill when Ron climbed out. She knew that car. She knew it all too well.

Buried hatchet or no, what the holy hell was Ron doing getting out of Bonnie Rockwaller's car?

Throwing the notion of yet another grand entrance out the window, Kim raced down the stairs, nearly forgetting the shoes she was wearing and almost ending up on her face in the upstairs hall. Regaining her composure, she hustled down the main staircase, just as her Dad let him in the front door.

Ron came up short when he got in the door and saw Kim there waiting for him. His eyes started at her feet and worked their way up. At first he couldn't tell the difference between the way she looked at that moment and how she looked more than a year earlier. In his mind he knew she was about an inch taller, but that was in her legs and he knew, well, certain parts of her had grown just a little bit, but it was her face that was different.

She was steamed and she had a pretty good idea that Ron had a pretty good idea why himself.

"This is a scene we haven't had in a while." James said, closing the door behind Ron. "Feels kind of funny to be picking up Kimmie for a date."

"Uh, yeah, sure Mr. Dr. P." He glanced again at his girlfriend, and her fists on her hips. She looked a lot more like angry-moodulated Kim than smitten-moodulated Kim from that night.

"Ron, where's your car?" Anne asked as she caught up to her daughter.

"Oh, it broke down a few blocks from my house. That's why I'm late."

Kim cocked an eyebrow at him. "If you were just a few blocks, why didn't you just walk home and get your Mom's car?"

Ron gulped, knowing he was doomed no matter what he said. "I…Bonnie drove by while I was still trying to figure out what was wrong."

"Uh huh. Well, guess we're taking my car tonight." Kim reached into her purse and pulled out the keys. "Come on, let's go." She brushed past him, her heels clacking on the sidewalk as she went.

"Was it really car trouble, Ronald?" James raised an eye at the young man. He was finally getting an inkling about what went on between his daughter and Bonnie.

"Mr. Dr. P, I sometimes think Motor Ed must have built that car as some kind of trap to get me when it matters most."

"Tonight matters most?" He asked, looking like he wanted to scratch his head. In fact he did just that.

Kim honked the horn twice. He looked out the door, discovering at least she had gotten in the passenger's side. It would be so strange having her drive tonight. "Um, see you guys later, uh, don't wait up?" He added hopefully.

James laughed quietly. "Ronald, you ought to know by now that phrase just means 'we darn well are going to wait up.'" He waved slightly as the younger man headed for the car.

"I wonder why that Rockwaller girl would give Ron a ride, knowing how Kim feels about her." James said as he closed the door.

"Oh, I think she might recognize how special this night is for them."

"Special? What's special about it? Unless… I swear, if that's what they're planning, I'm going to really…"

"James, settle down. It's not that kind of special, and even if it was, I don't think they would need a date at a really fancy restaurant, considering they're about to spend the next two weeks together. They're all dressed up, they've got dinner reservations…ring a bell?"

He stood there puzzling over what his wife was telling him. Slowly his eyes widened.

"You mean he's…a ring…my Kimmie-cub?"

Anne nodded slowly. "I found the ring in Ron's room about a week before Kim's birthday. I thought he was going to do it then. Go look at the pictures on your computer, where it looks like he's down on one knee. He about gave me a heart attack that night."

He looked sad for a moment as the two of them headed into the family room. "I just hoped when this time came he would ask me, man to man."

"He will, but I'm willing to bet he's waiting for his mother, too. This is a good way for them. It will be purely romantic, just them. Asking you will come later."

"They're too young." He griped.

"So? I was twenty and you were twenty two, and we still waited three years. They'll be just fine. Look at it this way, you already think of Ron like a son."

"Yeah."

"He's the best man a father could ever hope for their daughter to have. We love them and we trust them, remember?"

He took her hand. "Yeah, I do."

* * *

Kim's mad-on lasted just a few blocks. Ron spilled his guts pretty quickly how driving him over there was Bonnie's idea and all she had done was tell him not to screw this up. That prompted a big smile from Kim.

"Not to screw what up?"

"Uh, our big date. You know, Saturday dress-up on Friday."

"Uh huh." Kim put her hand on the back of his neck, playing with the freshly cut taper. She indulged him for a little while, letting him grow a tiny 'duck-tail,' but all she had to do was call it a mullet and he was off to the barber. His hair wouldn't slick back any more, but she liked him that way. Shaggy bangs, a little tuft of a cowlick, that's what she wanted to see framing those cute freckles and his chocolate brown eyes.

She kept staring at him as they were seated at the restaurant, smiling and looking into those eyes. It was obvious he would quickly realize she was on to him, but by that point she didn't care. She even noted he made a point of ordering for both of them, making sure a salad course would be coming. Wouldn't it be funny if he was going to use that age-old line of 'would you like _karats_ with your salad?'

As the waiter emerged from the kitchen, with two large bowls of tossed salad, he reached into his pocket and she knew he was going to do precisely that. Leaning on the table, she couldn't help but beam at him.

At that moment, the lights went out. It was just about dusk outside, but the place had relatively few windows, leaving only the candles burning on the tables for light. The place had gone from quietly romantic to highly romantic. It was perfect, exactly as she pictured the moment.

Just where was that waiter. She wanted her salad. She wanted her karats.

In the dim light, she could see Ron's hand emerge from his pocket. There was definitely something in his hand, something the size and shape of a ring box. Her heart started fluttering.

"Ladies and gentlemen." The maitre d announced. "I have just gotten off the phone with zee power company and zey say it will be at least three hours before zey can restore our electricity. I regret that, because of safety regulations, we will be force to close for the evening."

Kim's heart sank, just as the hand bearing that little box sank back into the pocket it had come from.

"Aw, man." He muttered.

She stood up and held out her hand. "Ronnie, cheer up. This just means that much more money we can take with us tomorrow. You can take me out someplace special while we're away, okay."

"Yeah, but I wanted this for tonight." He pouted as she led him toward the door.

"Baby, the night is not over. There are plenty of places just as nice as _L'Orange_, and most of them give you a lot more food for your money anyway."

He perked up slightly. "You know, there is this one little place. We could cut through Middleton Park to get there. I think you know it."

"Would that be _Muddrakker's_?" The hamburger joint wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but it did have some good memories attached to it. Then it dawned on her…

…there was nothing quite so romantic as the park on a warm summer's night.

They walked, hand in hand, taking their time. There were very few people in the park, considering it was just after dark and dinner time. It was also likely they were going to have to wait a bit to get a table, but Kim found she didn't care. If Ron actually were thinking on his feet, they might not even make it there.

Sure enough, not far from where he had saved her life that night, he stopped her, taking both her hands. "KP, tell me something."

"Anything." She felt like she was on a cloud, waiting for his next words.

"Do you believe in soul mates?"

She cocked her head slightly. It wasn't what she was expecting, but it could still lead down that road. "You mean like with that Animology stuff?"

"Well, sort of. Do you think two people's souls are meant to be together?"

"Not like the 'Blue Fox,' 'Pink Sloth' type of thing. I think two people can be Soulmates, but it takes work. It has to be something they both want. I refuse to believe that two people can be meant to be together if they don't want to. They have to want to be together, they have to want their souls to be one."

"KP, would you do that for me?"

"In a heartbeat, Ron Stoppable. I want our souls to be one…I even think they already are. In fact I know they are."

His trademark goofy grin spread over his freckled features. She thought for a moment he was going to kiss her to complete such a perfectly romantic moment. Instead, he dropped to one knee, pulling a velvet box out of his pocket.

"Kim Possible, will you be my Soulmate? Will you marry me?"

Her hands went to her mouth and tears started forming at the corners of her eyes. She reached for his hands and started to answer.

"Y…" was all she got out as the sprinklers came on, blasting both of them squarely in the face.

'THAT'S THE LAST STR…" Ron started to bellow when Kim gripped his hands and pulled him to his feet.

"Yes, Ron. YES, YES, YES!" she shouted, not caring that the two of them were getting solidly drenched.

His goofy grin returned.

"Now let's go home, get dried off and put on some clothes we can go to Bueno Nacho in." She suggested, pulling him after her.

* * *

James and Anne stood on the front steps, watching as a heavily laden car pulled out of the driveway and headed up the road. He held his wife around the waist, wondering if his daughter was going to be a different woman when she came home in two weeks.

He hoped to heaven she would still be his little Kimmie-cub.

"I'm still a little peeved they didn't tell us." He said finally as the car turned off the street, heading for the interstate.

Anne smiled softly. "Kimmie told me. She even showed me the ring. It's small, but it's the prettiest thing. Kim was wearing it just now as they left, you didn't notice?"

He looked off in the direction they had taken just moments before. "No, I didn't. I just thought she was wearing her promise ring."

"She was, it was on her right hand. The diamond was on her left."

James turned to go back inside. "It happened too quickly." He said, sadly.

"More like it finally happened, don't you think? She's not gone, James. We've got to put up with her for four more years. They've decided they're going to get married the summer after they graduate."

"Four more years of wondering what they're doing upstairs?"

"James! That is their business. Besides, what would you do if they are? Send him to a black hole?"

He shook his head. "No, I guess not." He smiled slightly as he opened the door.

"I wonder what they'll name out grandchildren?"

* * *

a/n So draws to a close Kim and Ron's second summer of love, but don't fret, there's much more to come. The story picks up in the soon to be released **Motor Court Blue v2.0** and the Trinity Sitch continues from there in **Soulmates of the Fury...**

...and the burning question, who is Agent Alpha, comes up again in **KP - One Oh One**

Kim Possible and all related characters © Disney


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